Scholarbiz, a new online platform launched in Troy, aims to match businesses with students to give them work experience and pay them for helping companies complete projects within their field of capability.
“The internship model can be very limiting,” says Mark Berishaj, co-founder of Scholarbiz and president of DirectRx, a speciality pharmacy in Troy. “Business professionals have a wide range of projects at any given time and they often need support to push them toward completion. Scholarbiz offers the flexibility of connecting with vetted, capable students to execute projects on demand, for a minimal fee, while also providing work experience for students.”
Berishaj says businesses can upload company projects to the site, such as marketing tasks, research projects, technology work, proofreading, presentation development, and social media management. In turn, students register on the site for free, identifying academic strengths and areas of interest. Students are then matched with projects. He says businesses and students interact via the site and once the project is completed, the company provides feedback and ratings to the student.
“Professionals today are required to do more with less,” says Mike Semanco, an investor and board member who is also the president and COO of Rochester Hills-based Hitachi Business Finance. “Scholarbiz helps businesses fulfill immediate needs with a cost effective, low maintenance solution.”
Semanco says prices range from $40 to $500, depending on the project scope and level of complexity. He says businesses can also sign up for a monthly membership, which provides access to a set number of student hours each month based on each membership level.
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