We’re a matter of days away from what Ben Kaplan would only describe as “very exciting news for WiGo,” the "who is going out" app Kaplan created as an undergrad at Holy Cross in Worcester.
While we have no choice but to wait on the edge of our seats for that news to drop, Kaplan didn’t hesitate to reflect on the experiences in school that got him where he is today. Turns out, all you need is a great idea, prime connections and a bit of irony to make it in the app game.
“If you get excited about something and have the opportunity to blaze your own trail, you should do it."
WiGo’s ironic rise
Kaplan doesn’t seem special. So much of his story we’ve heard before: A passionate college kid decided to put book-learning on the back burner and scratch his startup itch. From Bill Gates’ garage days to Mark Zuckerberg’s pre-IPO life, Kaplan’s background doesn’t appear to be anything new in the tech space.
However, he does have one thing to offer; he has irony.
For those who don’t know, WiGo – short for “Who is going out?” – was designed to facilitate making social plans on college campuses.
I, a Holy Cross alum like Kaplan, remember those days of yelling across tables in Kimball Dining Hall trying to figure out what everyone was doing on any given night. Kaplan, unlike me, did something about it. With his app, friends have kept one another in the loop about where the party’s at.
After pitching the app at Holy Cross’ Shark Tank competition as a freshman, Kaplan caught attention from local investors and advisors with a win under his belt. By the end of his sophomore year, he had decided to call it quits with school to go full-time with WiGo.
“It’s really ironic,” Kaplan told me over the phone. “I designed an app to help college students make social plans. At the same time, it brought me out of college, where I’m no longer making social plans because I’m working.”
To be fair, he added that he he toured campuses to promote his app this past year and, “got a nice dose of debauchery.”
To quit school or to not quit school?
Social life aside, giving up on the college track was a dicey venture for Kaplan. He played hockey at Holy Cross, so he had to watch years of dedication to training and schoolwork go out the window.
Not to mention, both of his parents are Yale grads and doctors. “Let’s just say it was unorthodox for a Kaplan to drop out of college,” he joked.
As we all know, Kaplan ultimately went with his gut and chose his company. He maintains that, “If you get excited about something and have the opportunity to blaze your own trail, you should do it. It doesn’t make sense to stick it out and get a desk job if you can help the world in some way. Whether it be a little way like an app or a big way like solving hunger.”
College still has its place
Kaplan doesn’t discount his couple of years in college either. It was at a school event that he gained recognition and connections to give his company legs. For instance, Jim Giza, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at WPI, acted as an advisor and introduced Kaplan to Paul English, who was instrumental in WiGo’s growth.
Also, Kaplan believes that colleges are the perfect environments for launching a company. It’s filled with people who are closely connected, open-minded and eager to try new things – pretty much a marketer’s dream.
“I think you should start marking money as soon as you can,” he advised students. “Learn what you like and what you don’t like now.”
Images provided.
