Every college student's inbox has at one time been flooded with group emails from classes, dorms, clubs and more. Student-founded startup CollegeWikis, which just received $2 million in funding, hopes to retire this system, and make more information accessible to more students at the same time.
Any college student with an .edu email address can sign up for the service, join the groups that interest them and post group-specific updates that other members can view on the website. While it's playing against big boys like Facebook in some ways, its focused approach may win over users who are nostalgic for the old college-limited Facebook days when it was easy to find what you wanted.
For example, an a capella singing troupe could have its own page on the site that shows all new posts on upcoming events and rehearsals. The page for a course might list required readings and review sessions. That way members don't have to go digging through their inboxes to find important info sent out a month before. And if someone posts a question (Where's the tailgate? Know any good burritos around here?), everyone can see and benefit from the replies. The site also hosts non-group forums where students can freely swap tidbits, advice, and obligatory YouTube videos.
CollegeWikis also competes with startups like Wiggio, which launched its collaboration tool for college groups last month.
The New York-based company serves about 50,000 students at 200 schools. It's careful to separate itself from the social networking craze, likening itself to Wikipedia instead. The funding was led by HighBAR Ventures, follwed by Richmond Management, eCoast Angel Network and Boston Harbor Angels.