Shanda

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

Industry: Technology and Media

MBA Founding Student Name(s):  Dumi Mabhena (MBA’24) and Paul Kassar (MBA’23)

Brief Description of Solution: Shanda is an intuitive all-in-one web platform that streamlines podcast production for independent creators. We simplify the editing process, reducing a 6-hour task to just 10 minutes – enabling users to transform a raw recording into a published podcast effortlessly. Our AI-powered features include text-based editing, noise removal, metadata generation, and instant publishing. We make podcasting accessible and affordable for everyone, regardless of technical skills or time constraints.

Funding Dollars: Bootstrapped

What led you to launch this venture? What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? Shanda was inspired by my personal experience creating the podcast, “Zimbabwean Voices.” Through this journey, my co-founder and I realized that the steep learning curve for podcast editing was a significant barrier for many aspiring creators. This insight drove us to democratize podcasting by simplifying the process.

At Shanda, we believe in the power of stories to change the world. Our core mission is to empower people with the tools they need to tell stories for their communities. We’re proud of our successes in pitch competitions like Georgetown’s Rocket Pitch and Bark Tank, and our participation in accelerator programs such as the D.C. Tech Accelerator and Techstars Founder’s Catalyst. However, we believe our biggest accomplishment goes beyond these accolades.

Ultimately, our greatest achievement has been creating a solution that genuinely helps people share their stories. We’ve developed a platform that removes technical barriers, allowing voices that might otherwise go unheard to reach audiences. Seeing our users transform their ideas into published podcasts, contributing to the diverse tapestry of global narratives, is what we consider our most significant accomplishment so far.

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? Our biggest challenge has been balancing the demands of building Shanda while pursuing our MBA degrees. The MBA program offered invaluable resources, but juggling academics with startup responsibilities was incredibly demanding. We solved this by leveraging our partnership as co-founders. By dividing tasks based on our strengths and supporting each other during intense academic periods, we managed to keep Shanda moving forward. This approach not only helped us navigate the dual pressures but also strengthened our partnership and company foundation. It taught us the critical importance of teamwork and adaptability in entrepreneurship.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? Our MBA program at Georgetown has provided crucial support in several ways:

* Capital: We received grant funding through an MBA Startup Fellowship ($10,000), won the Rocket Pitch competition ($1,500), and were selected as finalists at the Bark Tank Pitch competition ($15,000).

* Talent: We’ve leveraged talent from the Georgetown Startup Internship Program and the Georgetown Ventures club that offered resources through interns for our marketing operations.

* Office Space: Georgetown Venture Lab provided us with space to run our business.

* Networks: We received guidance and mentorship from experienced Georgetown Entrepreneurs in Residence.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? My parents were my first and most influential entrepreneurial role models – as well as my co-founders. Growing up, we witnessed their daily struggles and triumphs as entrepreneurs, which instilled in us a deep appreciation for the grit and determination required to build something from scratch. Their unwavering courage in facing challenges and remarkable resilience in pursuing their ventures continue to inspire us. As we build Shanda, we draw on the invaluable lessons learned from their experiences – about perseverance, creativity, and seeing opportunities where others might see obstacles. Their entrepreneurial spirit motivates us daily, pushing us to innovate and overcome challenges in our own venture.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? The Product Development and AI course taught by Professor Kenneth Dodelin has been the most valuable. The biggest lesson I gained was a comprehensive framework for bringing new products to market, including exposure to design thinking, insights from expert product managers, and practical tools for building, launching, and scaling tech products.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Professor Melissa Bradley made a significant contribution to our plans. Her authentic passion for empowering underserved entrepreneurs and decades of experience running venture funds to assist African American founders provided us with unparalleled insights. Her focus on balancing profit with social impact inspired us to rethink our assumptions and approach to creating equitable opportunities in entrepreneurship.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? The Georgetown startup ecosystem has been crucial to our development. We’ve benefited from the Georgetown Ventures Club’s launchpad program, the venture accelerator program, and grant funding through various competitions. The vibrant and engaged student body at Georgetown also provided us with the perfect testing ground for our platform, allowing us to refine our product based on real user feedback.

What is your long-term goal with your startup? Our long-term goal is to build Shanda into a global brand that democratizes podcasting. We aim to expand beyond the college market to empower voices worldwide, making podcast creation accessible to anyone with a story to tell. We also aspire to foster a global community of storytellers and become the go-to platform for independent podcasters.

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture? The biggest lesson we wish we’d known from the start is the importance of focusing on a specific niche market initially. We found success by targeting college students as our beachhead market, allowing us to refine our product and gain traction before expanding. Understanding the value of this targeted approach from the beginning could have accelerated our growth and product development process.

DON’T MISS: MOST DISRUPTIVE MBA STARTUPS OF 2024