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younger generation of entrepreneurs chooses to
create
jobs rather than apply for them.
“There’s definitely a larger generational disconnect
where people kind of look at me and they’re like ‘wait,
you’re doing what? You have a company?” says
Mae
Karwowski ’04
, CEO of the New York-based social
media marketing company
Obviously Social
. “Our
generation’s different in that people start things that
can have a huge impact; Instagram was what, like 9, 10
people before it sold to Facebook? These companies
have giant valuations and people are growing, sell-
ing at a crazy rate, where a few generations ago you
were a teacher or a lawyer. It’s just a different way of
approaching work.”
Karwowski’s approach is part of what she describes
as the new normal. Obviously Social was created out of
a casual fascination for social media, now legitimized as
a practical way for big and small businesses to circulate
information. Specifically, Karwowski and her team culti-
vate “influencers” for big-name clients like
The New
Yorker
, the
New York Times
and global brands such as
clothiers UNIQLO, identifying social media personalities
that hold sway over their respective followings. According
to Karwowski, leveraging those connections is dictating
a major shift in the way marketing teams choose to struc-
ture their business models, a modification that’s evolved
with the progression of digital advertising and the use of
mobile devices.
Karwowski and her team do two main things: Identify
a target audience for a given client, then mold a social
network to reflect the brand. An influencer may write
about a product on a blog, or share relevant articles, all
with the goal of drumming up chatter on social media.
It was all relatively new for Karwowski, who remembers
the auspicious hype of Facebook during her Sixth Form
year (Facebook officially launched in February 2004). She
chuckles at the notion of graduating from the University
of North Carolina–Chapel Hill with a degree in philosophy,
before moving to New York and turning her attention to
social media. After taking some yoga classes around the
T
It didn’t take long before Kaplan’s idea gained a growing
following.
WiGo started drawing attention from schools around
the country, as campus recruiters began reaching out to
inquire about access, simply by virtue of the buzz WiGo
was generating on campuses nationwide. Partnerships
began to form, and Kaplan was soon balancing college
life with running a business, all before his 21st birthday.
Prior to his junior year, Kaplan chose to postpone the
next two years of college to manage WiGo full-time, a
choice his parents – both Yale grads – supported.
The paddleboard business may not have materialized,
but any lingering sense of disappointment was assuaged
when WiGo earned a $14 million valuation from investors
such as Kayak founder Paul English and Tinder’s Sean
Rad and Justin Mateen, putting Kaplan’s young startup
on par with tech darlings like Instragam and Snapchat.
English, Rad, and Mateen invested heavily in WiGo,
creating distinct opportunities for Kaplan, along with
some sleepless nights.
“It’s silly if you think that these older people are trust-
ing a 23-year-old with a few million dollars,” Kaplan says.
“What helped me not freak out as much was knowing
investors have disposable money that they choose to
invest in a very risky market.”
Which may very well be the difference between the
markets of today versus two decades ago. A self-made
tech star, Kaplan ranks high on the list of young SPS alumni
who have taken advantage of opportunities that didn’t
exist 10 or 20 years ago, building businesses, establish-
ing loyal followings, and making small fortunes. And the
beauty of it, says Kaplan, is not that apps like Instagram,
Snapchat – and even WiGo – offer a chance to get rich
quick, but that the opportunity is open to anyone willing
to put in the energy to see something succeed.
Last fall, WiGo merged with Yeti Campus, a social
media app popular with college students. Kaplan stayed
on at Yeti for a few months during the transition, before
starting his own social media consulting company. His
latest gig is at Jerry Media, a comedy entertainment
brand distributed across major social networks.
The Young and the Restless
Right around the time WiGo was making headlines,
Inc.
Magazine
published a list of 40 young people who became
millionaires before they were 20. With the exception of
now infamous entertainer Justin Bieber, every person
on the list was involved with the invention of an app,
a website, or a business that sold its products online.
Notable members on the list include Facebook’s Mark
Zuckerberg. As many young alumni can attest, the
traditional job market is no longer traditional, as a
Mae Karwowski ’04, CEO of Obviously Social
