Reconnaissance by Surrogate
Luke Skurman
College Prowler
www.collegeprowler.com
Pittsburgh
Founded: 2002
Age: 25
As a high-school student in Marin County, Calif., Luke Skurman wanted to attend college in the East but was disappointed by the lack of information available in university brochures, college guidebooks, and magazine articles.
While a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon, he launched a book-publishing venture to offer the inside scoop on everything from cafeteria ratings to fraternity parties -- all the info missing from traditional guides -- at 200 campuses around the U.S.
On the College Prowler Web site, students vote and rank schools, offering an alternative to the U.S. News & World Report lists. Consumers can also order directly from the site, which offers excerpts.
Skurman raised $130,000 in capital through four angel investors within the first two years of operation. Today, he has a team of eight full-time employees and 214 student-authors nationwide. Skurman says 2005 revenues from book sales have grown tenfold since 2004.
Lesson learned:
"I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have a solid team. It's the only way a company achieves success."
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