AlmanApp

You're a student and always have a lack of money. What can you do about it? You can of course apply for a part-time job. Or you can think bigger and start a successful business. Last week NEXT visited a brand new company called AlmanApp, a mobile application for internal communication within a (study)association. AlmanApp is an invention of three students at the University of Groningen; Tom van der Laan, Bas Krijgsman and Djurre de Boer.

Djurre de Boer developed a mobile application for the almanac of Vindicat, a well known students association in Groningen. Using this app, members of Vindicat can look up a picture and some additional information on other members. While enjoying a beer together, Djurre told Tom van der Laan and Bas Krijgsman everything about his creation. And thus a new idea for a new company was born. An almanac-application could very well be interesting for other associations, even more when the app could be used for internal communication within the associations. The app is becoming a real internal social-media tool. Members of an association will in the future be able to add content themselves; a little like Facebook once started, but where Facebook developed in a world wide network, this app will be the ultimate tool foor communicating with other members of your association. This is useful, since many associations have too many members for each to know everyone. That the students associations find the app useful is apparent; the app has one million page views within the first year.

The development of the app is financed using profits from Tom and Bas' other companies (read the story here). But a little extra money is ever welcome, this is why they also use crowdfunding. The crowdfunding page does its job; they've already sold 40% of the available shares, and over twelve associations already purchased the app.

The company is thriving, so much that it is ever demanding of more personnel. 'Especially programmers!' says Bas. What makes working at AlmanApp so interesting, I ask them. 'Since we're a new and young company with young employees, the company doesn't really have a hierarchical structure. Everyone can pitch their ideas and possibly make them happen', Bas replies. 'This makes working here so interesting, especially for programmers. During lunch you can drop your idea and a couple of days later it has become reality' Djurre adds. Tom observes that every new employee can develop very quickly, in any way. 'Sometimes you see a new employee that is very shy at the beginning, but he or she can emerge as a leader all of a sudden.'

Three entrepreneurs, all of them students at the university. They all think that gaining relevant work experience during your studies is very important. 'I notice that all of our employees have that little extra advantage, even in their studies, over their fellow students' says Tom 'they can immediately apply in practice what they learn in theory at the University. Vague concepts suddenly become clear.

Are you enthusiastic and do you want to start up your own company? Read these pages on entrepreneurship. Or would you rather be employed at a company? Check Career ConNEXT for vacancies for AlmanApp and a lot of other vacancies and placements.