Pranam Lipinski started Door of Clubs to connect clubs with companies. Lipinski is an Endicott College grad and former real estate developer, and believes that his experience in real estate development gave him the tools to succeed in creating his own venture.
“I had a change of heart with what I wanted to do in my life,” he said. “I always wanted to make a contribution and help students during their most transformative years.”
Lipinski and his two founders, Adam Rosen and Oscar-Wyett Moore, began speaking to student clubs last fall. This past spring, Lipinski and his team began holding events between the clubs that he spoke with and companies in the Boston area.
“Our goal is to work with these students and give them more opportunities to present themselves in front of employers,” Lipinski said.
Lipinski’s company has raised an angel round of $250,000 from iRobot’s HR Chief, Russ Campanello. His business platform allows companies to discover student clubs that are aligned with their business. Door of Clubs currently has over 300 student clubs on its platform across the country, including those from Boston College, Harvard, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame. Currently, the majority of clubs on the platform are tech and diversity-focused, both of which are becoming increasingly popular in today’s job market.
Lipinski and his team are based out of WeWork, a co-working station in South Station. Door of Clubs offers a web-based platform that allows student clubs to create a profile page. “This can either be through resume books, info sessions, or speaker series,” he said.
Lipinski explained that the response has been positive, and clubs from all over the country have been using the service. Door of Clubs has seen many clubs and companies reach out and engage with each other, which ultimately results in both parties setting up events and partnerships. Clubs can create a custom profile and tailor it toward employers in different industries, and directly message other clubs on the platforms for advice or partnership opportunities and can request sponsorship to raise money for their clubs.
“It’s a place where students can directly connect with businesses through sponsorships and build a relationship,” Lipinski said. “By the time students are seniors, they would have already built a solid relationship with this employer.”
Door of Clubs also offers companies the option to create a profile themselves. This allows companies to discover clubs at universities that they are targeting, and the ability to communicate directly with student leaders. “The company can message a club, just like a club can message a company and can directly sponsor clubs on the platform,” Lipinski said. Door of Clubs is focused on giving students the ability to gain facetime with these companies and does not charge a transaction fee, Lipinski said. Door of Clubs currently has over 50 companies on its platform, including Quicken Loans, Sony, Pandora, and TripAdvisor.
“The companies on our platform range from large Fortune 500 companies, all the way down to startups,” he said.
Companies can pay for different tiers of service, ranging from a limited free package, up to a premium package for $1,000 per month.
Lipinski cites the initial challenge of a lack of platform dedicated to student organizations and companies as something that drove him to start Door of Clubs. “Many students have the ability to change the trajectory of their lives during college—I’ve seen many that did not have the opportunities, because they didn’t know where to turn to and how to navigate the recruiting process,” he said.
In the future, Lipinski hopes to see his club grow and give students the ability to contact companies while feeling comfortable during the recruiting process.
“I want to give an English or philosophy major from a no-name school, because she’s in a club, the ability to get face-to-face with employers,” he said.
Featured Image Courtesy of Door of Clubs
