Kollegio is a college counseling ecosystem built entirely with AI and data-driven solutions for students, schools, and colleges. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Kollegio CEO and co-founder Senan Khawaja.
Senan Khawaja’s Background
What is Senan Khawaja’s background? Khawaja said:
“I’m a graduating senior from Stanford studying economics and international relations. I’m from Pakistan, but I grew up worldwide, living in The Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and, of course, now America. My diverse background informed much of my interest in international development. My time working in DC at the World Bank and Brussels at the Lisbon Council spurred me to tackle the issue of development from a less popular lens – the private sector. I am passionate about playing my part to make the world a more equal place. At Kollegio, I can do just that.”
Formation Of Kollegio
How did the idea for Kollegio come together? Khawaja shared:
“I worked in the traditional college counseling industry for three years, running my own firm and helping over 100 students place into top schools all over the world, many of them with sizable scholarships and financial aid packages. However, when I was working in the industry, I was confronted with the inherent problem in the higher education space. There are so many smart, talented, and hardworking students who simply don’t have the financial means to afford college admissions counselors. This is a problem that stayed with me.”
“When the AI boom hit, I began thinking about how the two worlds of AI and college admissions counseling could be combined. I spent a lot of time talking with my good friend from high school and one of the smartest guys I know, Saeed Naeem, who was just about to graduate from Berkeley, having studied Computer Science and Applied Math. Before we knew it, Saeed and I had teamed up, and we were off to the races.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working with Kollegio so far? Khawaja reflected:
“This is a tough one. A lot of good memories come to mind, but I think if I had to pick one, it would be when I was speaking to one of our first beta users. He was a junior from rural Georgia whose family made less than 50k a year. Let’s call him Jake for privacy purposes. Jake wanted nothing more than to attend a top school and was excited to see what we were building at Kollegio. He made me promise that we would give him early access as soon as we could, and until today, he has been one of our most active beta users.”
Core Products
What are Kollegio’s core products and features? Khawaja explained:
“Kollegio’s initial goal was to do everything a top-of-the-range college admissions counselor could do and more, at a tiny fraction of the price. We have pivoted slightly in making our primary goal to get our platform in as many student’s hands as possible, all the while keeping our product free.”
“In terms of features, some of the exciting ones include:
-An interactive essay topic brainstormer that keeps in mind your background and the personality of the college, then helps you pick essay topics and create a plan for them.
-An AI planner that dynamically helps you set internal deadlines so you can stay on track.
-An extracurricular builder that helps the user put together their experience from outside the classroom, like clubs and volunteer work, as well as brainstorm new extracurriculars for students to pursue
These are just a few of our many features!”
Evolution Of Kollegio’s Technology
How has Kollegio’s technology evolved since launching? Khawaja noted:
“Our technology is developing rapidly. While we are currently a small team of 19, we are actively working on creating the best technology in this space.”
“Imagine a world where a high schooler who wants to study psychology at Stanford is given a clear plan to help get them there, regardless of how much money their parents make. They’d be recommended specific extracurriculars in their area based on their target major and school, be connected with like-minded students across the world, and ethically help to the same degree wealthy students are today.”
“Kollegio is not just for top students; however, we also seek to do away with the information asymmetry around college admissions, letting each student know where they stand and what the best opportunities, scholarships, and programs are for them.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of Kollegio’s most significant milestones? Khawaja cited:
We officially launched 3 months ago and have 15k+ users from all 50 states and 153 countries, all of whom have been acquired organically through word of mouth. We are continuing to grow rapidly with the goal of hitting 50k students by the end of the year.
Funding
When asking Khawaja about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“We have raised a 750k pre-seed round from Reach and Tuesday Capital.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates Kollegio from its competition? Khawaja affirmed:
“We are a product that is going to disrupt the market. There are no expensive counselors attached to our company. We are going to build up the ethical use of AI.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of Kollegio’s future company goals? Khawaja pointed out:
“We want every student in America and the world to use Kollegio to help them access higher education. With millions of users on Kollegio, we will be able to help reshape the way higher education is accessed, allowing us to make the infrastructure of higher education more equitable than ever before.”
