A group of entrepreneurs hope to integrate students' lives inside and outside of the classroom all on one mobile application, aptly called OneSchool.
The Elon University edition of OneSchool is now available and contains BioBus route information, building and food locations and a chat room. Academic features, such as the course listings, have yet to be fleshed out but will be improved as the app evolves.
Users select their school after installing the app and have access to all of the features available on one home screen. Schools will have the opportunity to add their own unique features to the application to reflect their students' needs.
Co-founder David Adewumi, 24, had the idea for OneSchool while studying at Pennsylvania State University. He realized that students are rarely without their phones yet there were no all-inclusive applications that integrated the college experience inside and outside of the classroom.
Adewumi was at Elon recently to talk with students and get their feedback on the product.
Sarah Kleckner, a freshman business major, said she is getting an iPhone for her next birthday and could see herself using OneSchool.
"You can get everything in one spot," Kleckner said. "It's very convenient."
Adewumi said he appreciates the positive feedback he has heard so far but is also looking for constructive criticism.
"Yes, we're here to promote it but this is more of a learning experience," he said. "We have eight critical weeks where we can really improve the product, learn what people want, go back, build it and release it in the spring of 2012."
The visit is a part of a 14-day, 26-college road trip across the country by the founding team.
This journey is reminiscent of the four founders' original trek from Happy Valley to Silicon Valley, the nation's leader in technology development, at the beginning of the summer.
"We had $2,000 in our pocket," Adewumi said. "It was super risky."
By the end of the summer, when the OneSchool team finally got its first investment, Adewumi had just 74 cents in his bank account. Currently OneSchool has raised more than $500,000 dollars in venture capital, but Adewumi isn't sitting too comfortably.
"We could have a million downloads in the next three months," he said. "But we have to stay grounded and say 'Hey, this could get really bad.'"
Lynn Heinrichs, associate professor of computing sciences and business administration, said that entering the mobile app business doesn't require a lot of money and that the industry is on the rise. What's most important is having a strong idea.
"Clearly, there are great opportunities for entrepreneurs with a unique idea," Heinrichs said.
Adewumi said he has no plans to charge students or universities for OneSchool and intends to pursue alternative revenue opportunities.
"Ultimately this app will be free for students and free for universities forever," Adewumi said. "I am absolutely a fan of not charging students who are already being charged too much."
While there's no guarantee of OneSchool's success, Adewumi said that, like this road trip, it's about the journey, not the destination.
"We're learning, we're growing and we're having a ton of fun," he said.
OneSchool at Elon is available for download now on iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. BlackBerry and mobile versions will be available in the spring.