Now students can satisfy their love for free things on Sumpto, a website created by University of Miami alumnus Ben Kosinski that allows students with a university email to reap benefits from taking simple surveys.
“When I was at UM, I saw companies handing out free products, and I figured there had to be a way to provide them with easier access to students,” he said.
The website allows students with a valid .edu email address to sign up and create a profile. The college-exclusive company acts as a community for students to interact with others across the United States. Once a student has joined, the company can discover what is happening on campuses across the country by asking questions and receiving answers on topics like academics, Greek life and college life.
The site also allows for students to be awarded free products from big name brands from joining, taking surveys and using their favorite social media outlets to advertise the products they receive.
Kosinski explained that the company works with brands such as Kraft, Uber, Mountain Dew and TripAdvisor. There are over 90,000 students currently using the site all around the nation.
Kosinski began working on Sumpto a year after he graduated. He started out by creating a Beta site in conjunction with a web developer. After he launched the site, he began getting investors in October 2013.
Kosinski isn’t the only UM alumnus at Sumpto. Matt Greenberg, another alum, began helping Kosinski during his senior year at UM by building Sumpto’s social media presence.
“I started posting information on new rewards that could be claimed on the site and creating newsletters weekly,” Greenberg said.
After graduating in the spring of 2014, Greenberg moved to New York City, where the company is based, to work on marketing and social media for Sumpto as the Community and Content Manager.
Junior Gabriella Goodrich, who uses the site, is enthusiastic about Sumpto and its possibilities.
“I think it’s a really great idea,” she said. “When my friends get free samples and tell me how they are I’m more inclined to buy them versus seeing an ad for them or something on TV.”
Goodrich has received products such as The PocketBra, the Selfy case for the iPhone and free Uber credits.
Moving forward, Kosinski plans to create an app for the site to continue to expand Sumpto for students to enjoy.
“In the simplest sense, we want to be the company that brands think of when they want to reach the college demographic,” Greenberg said.
Kosinski also offered some advice for students with their own business ideas.
“Try to create something from your own experience,” he said. “Leverage your own experience as a strength.”