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CoFounders @ StartNoo
Daphné Vanessa - Co-Founder, StartNoo.com
Some say that entrepreneurship is in your blood. You see issues in the world and need to solve them - no matter how big or small.
Daphné Vanessa is Co-Founder of StartNoo.com, an online platform dedicated to reducing +$1 Trillion student loan debt crisis and encouraging community engagement. Previously, Daphné pursued multiple business ventures, including industrial automation, entertainment, software technology, and e-commerce.
As a Haitian-American born in Mississippi, Daphné’s diverse experiences and winding path in life lead to service. So after living in many countries, one thing has remained constant - Daphné’s passion for service. In Haiti, Daphné led multiple service efforts, including education initiatives and serving orphanages. In New York City, Daphné advocated for homeless rights with the United Nations. In Rome, Italy, Daphné served meals and played the piano for the homeless. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Daphné returned to NYC from Europe to help lead a group of college classmates and administrators sending over 10,000 emergency relief supplies to Haiti.
These experiences and others led Daphné to witness the need for qualified volunteers to serve nonprofits in need. Coupled with the reality of student loan debt after completing her Bachelors, Masters, Juris Doctor, and certificate programs at St. John's University, NYU, and New York Law School, Daphné knew there had to be a better way.
Daphné does not want student loan debt and high education costs to deter her or others from volunteerism and pursuing their dreams. As a result, she has dedicated herself to StartNoo, and disrupting the FinEdTech industry, to destroy student loan debt and outrageous tuition so that people can live their best lives.
Let’s solve issues together.
● Democratize the rising costs of education.
● Democratize nonprofit access to skilled talent.
● Make an impact.
To make an impact today, visit www.StartNoo.com.
Shamil Rodriguez - Co-Founder, StartNoo.com
When Shamil was a little boy would visit his family in Puerto Rico over the summer, he would make empanadas and attempt to sell them on the sidewalk. Not quite a lemonade stand but the entrepreneurial spirit was there.
After graduating from middle school Shamil asked his dad for a DJ set. Not only because Shamil was a fan of music and parties but because he liked the flexibility to work on the weekends and still focus on school and basketball during the week. Not quite a lemonade stand but the entrepreneurial spirit was there.
While in college, Shamil bought brand name jeans from Chinese manufacturers and used his dorm room as a changing room for students to try on his products. Shamil also saw the value in e-commerce by purchasing whatever inventory UGGs he could find just before the holiday season and reselling them on eBay or on campus. Not quite a lemonade stand but the entrepreneurial spirit was there.
After graduating from college, Shamil went on to work in campaigns for local and state politicians but he supplemented his income by developing websites (using Joomla) and social media profiles because he saw the growth potential for websites and social media in politics. Shamil was rejected several times but he persisted even though “professionals” he encountered thought social media and the internet didn’t have a place in politics - President Obama helped set the record straight on that thought. Not quite a lemonade stand but the entrepreneurial spirit was there.
Shamil walked both the “professional” line and the entrepreneurial line as his career progressed. Shamil went on to become (and still is today) a Lieutenant in the Army National Guard, served as the youngest (non-student) selected to serve on his local community college board of trustees, graduated from law school and even found a cush job as an associate at law firm. All while helping build StartNoo.com in his “spare” time with his superhuman wife, Daphné.
Unfortunately, even though a dog has four legs, he can only walk down one path at a time.
Now with law school and the law firm life in the rear-view mirror, Shamil is focusing his efforts on the entrepreneurial spirit that existed all along. In addition to helping manage the development of the actual platform of StartNoo, Shamil leads operations and technology for the company.
Let’s solve issues together.
● Democratize the rising costs of education.
● Democratize nonprofit access to skilled talent.
● Make an impact.
To make an impact today, visit www.StartNoo.com.