The product began as a personal CRM, helping pre-banking students network for internships. Many of these students (including myself) did not understand networking.

To address this gap, Hoo You Know became a newsletter¹, informed by interviews with UVA alumni on their career path and advice.

Four main stakeholders benefit² from this model.

1. Students value information from successful alumni who were once in their shoes.
2. Alumni value giving back to a community which served them well.
3. Universities benefit from a weekly connection between students and alumni.
4. Organizations gain access to a niche university audience through paid advertising.

Footnotes

1. Launched at UVA in February 2025. ↩

2. By March 2026, Hoo You Know had reached 1,126 subscribers, featured 36 alumni, partnered with 8 brands, and reached its first profitable month. ↩