Spartan Entrepreneur Spotlight: Nicholes Anvari of Turon
Students studying at the Idea Lab. Photo by David Schmitz.
In honor of National Entrepreneur Day (Nov. 19), SJSU is highlighting the stories of Spartan founders who got their start at San Jose State.
Photo courtesy of Nicholes Anvari, ’19 Business Administration
When Nicholes Anvari, ’19 Business Administration, was a sophomore at San Jose State, he was struggling through a math for business course. He searched for a private tutor who could counsel him through the class and was frustrated at how hard it was to find an affordable tutor who had the necessary subject area knowledge and could work with his school schedule. There had to be an easier way to find the right tutor. He started thinking, what if there were an Airbnb for tutors? What if there were a platform where tutors could list their rates, hours and areas of expertise, and tutees could shop around to find the right match? And thus, Turon—an online tutoring marketplace—was born.
Turon
Founded: 2018, official product launch, August 2019
Staff: Nicholes Anvari, CEO, Head of Product
Mission: To provide peer tutors who can support students at all universities when and where they need, at negotiable rates on relevant topics.
Biggest lesson learned: Persistence. Anvari has called more than 100 universities seeking partners. So far he has launched the platform at San Jose State, San Francisco State University and Santa Clara University. There are 800 active users.
Revenue stream: Turon receives a percentage of each tutoring transaction.
Problems he solves: Turon helps students find the tutors they need on their own terms. It also offers tutors a place to find clients, gain experience and earn money.
Challenges faced: Selling products to universities that already have tutoring services, as well as finding collaborators, raising revenue and managing transactions.
Biggest accomplishments: Adding 800 users at three schools in the first three months.
Vision for the future: Turon plans to offer convenient ways for students to find affordable tutors with expertise on their own time frame on all college campuses.
Phase of development: Growth
What keeps him motivated: “Entrepreneurship is about starting something that has value—about finding that bigger picture. I’m not doing this just for me. I’m doing this for people who aren’t able to find the help they need. That’s what helps me stay motivated.” —Nicholes Anvari, ’19 Business Administration
