Tradeversity, the app that lets college students securely sell their televisions, bedding and tutoring services, is now serving several D.C. universities — just in time for the holidays.
The app, founded by Michael Meyers (not the same one, I promise) in 2014, lets anyone with a .edu email address sell and trade goods through both an app and desktop platform to anyone else at their school. Think of it like Facebook Groups and Marketplace, but limited just to people at your school, and it doesn't bury your post the minute you share it.
Now, since they started at the University of South Carolina, where Meyers went to school, Tradeversity has expanded to 20 colleges and universities and has over 200 more schools on the waitlist.
As of last week, that list of active markets now includes George Washington University, Georgetown University, American University and George Mason University.
"If you look at D.C., it’s a mecca when it comes to edtech," Meyers said. "We've been very focused to on how do we get to the D.C. market and grow from there?"
Tradeversity recently set up shop at 1776. Meyers, who is originally from Northern Virginia, said the startup made the choice to expand here because of the resources for edtech companies found in the District — and the demand from D.C. area universities only made the decision to expand easier.
Since their launch, they've raised $400,000 from angel investors, campus pitch competitions and grants.
Meyers said that going into the startup, he was expecting students to mostly sell their textbooks. Instead, he's been seeing electronics, furniture and student services really take off on the platform.
"I'm really excited to find that students are listing everything from tutoring services to their photography skills," Meyers said. "We had a student who was offering laundry services for other students. It's really cool to see how students are getting creative with this."
One of the major concerns going into the startup was having enough items posted on Tradeversity throughout the year, Meyers said. Students are only buying textbooks twice a year and chances are they only need to buy and sell a piece of furniture once a year.
"What we're seeing is that even though different categories are cyclical, there's a spike at different times," Meyers said. "So there's a consistent flow of value and items being exchanged on a regular basis."
