USF grad develops online marketplace for college students

[USFishin]

USF grad develops online marketplace for college students

Updated: Monday, 05 Dec 2011, 8:50 AM EST

Published : Monday, 05 Dec 2011, 6:54 AM EST

Kerry Klecic/MyFoxTampaBay.com

TAMPA - Two years ago, Tina Dominguez couldn’t have imagined she’d be sitting where she is today.

A 2009 USF graduate, she’s now a young entrepreneur, spearheading an idea for website and mobile app that seems to be taking off.

It’s called Yapik , and it bills itself as an online marketplace for college students, where they can buy and sell items with ease – all with the simple click of the button and all on the go.

Think of it like Craigslist – only for college.

Looking for a new couch? Trying to find tickets to the football game? Interested in finding a tutor?

It’s probably on Yapik.

“You don’t have to look on Craigslist … or Ebay for all these things that are from all over the place,” Dominguez said. ”You don’t pay shipping. Anything that you need is right there in the palm of your hand.”

Yapik is exclusively for college students. The free signup requires registering a “.edu” e-mail. And it’s also targeting a specific mobile market. It’s only available for Android and iPhone users, though Dominguez said the company is looking to expand its reach.

Once the app is downloaded onto your phone, it’s easy to use.

When you see something you like, you simply negotiate a deal with the seller through a chat inside the Yapik app. What this does, Dominguez said, is make the process more secure.

It means sellers don’t have to post personal contact phone numbers or e-mails out in the open – like on Craigslist.

Dominguez, a former marketing major, runs the company with two others out of Miami. It’s her full-time job, she said.

They launched Yapik at Florida International University, University of Florida and University of Miami. After success, she said the company will soon launch at 10 other universities over the next month, including the University of South Florida.

In the coming months, she said the plan is to launch Yapik nationwide.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “It’s exciting to see something come from just a concept and see it come together from the design to the development process to seeing it my phone for the first time.”

“The App is going to be available in the Android marketplace and the Apple iTunes store within the next couple of weeks,” she said. “After that, it will be ready for spring semester of next year, and it will be launching at campuses nationwide.”

The article has a video and can be seen here