You've heard this story before: a couple of college kids launch a startup from their dorm room. Surrounded by engineers, finance majors and future founders, venture capital wasn't just common — it was expected. So when my co-founder and I launched Prepory, our college admissions coaching company, we assumed we'd need funding to be taken seriously.

We entered a pitch competition and came in second. No check. We reached out to investors. No bites. We had a choice: give up or keep building.

We kept building. READ MORE