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Engaged in the mentor-rich, opportunity-driven culture of ���ϲ�����, Duncan George ’25 found the encouragement and the skill set to transform a two-year sketchbook idea into a venture ready for prime time.

“Every professor I met was involved beyond the classroom,” the finance major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said. “That energy pushed me to take an early concept and build something real.”

George had envisioned an online marketplace where student-run ventures share a professionally built storefront, seamless payment processing and pooled traffic. The boost to make the idea a reality came during the senior-year Business Fellows trip to Prague.

“While touring a fintech firm, I explained the platform I’d been refining,” he recalled. “The CEO offered to integrate his company’s payment system and become my partner.”

Weekly Zoom sprints across six time zones followed. A demo will be finished this summer, with plans to onboard student ventures by Fall 2025.

“Most student entrepreneurs juggle coursework, branding and backend logistics,” George said. “Our platform hands them a customizable storefront and folds everyone into one marketplace. When one venture attracts shoppers, all of us benefit.”

He hopes the site becomes “the first stop for anyone who wants to support peer-run businesses.”

George credits the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business for giving him a market-savvy lens that impressed his new partners.

“Understanding U.S. consumer behavior and regulations turned out to be exactly what our Prague collaborators needed,” he said.

That reputation also led another Prague CEO to invite George to craft a U.S. market-entry strategy, an experience he calls “one of the most rewarding of my college career.”

Guidance from Professor Tina Das, Professor Raj Gupta and Porter Center advisor Cindy Sweeney kept the project on track.

“Professor Das opened doors I didn’t know existed, Professor Gupta showed me how to turn finance theory into action, and Ms. Sweeney was my career compass from day one,” George said.

After Commencement, George will join Deloitte’s Risk & Financial Advisory practice in Government & Public Services.

“It’s okay not to have everything figured out,” he said. “If you chase what feels meaningful, you’ll keep moving in the right direction and ���ϲ����� gives you countless chances to do just that.”