Academics

Heard on Campus: Eli Kariv, student entrepreneur

Eli Kariv (left) speaks during IST Startup Week about the Penn State Founders Program, which he helped to create with alumnus Matt Brezina, Class of 2003 (also pictured). Credit: Emilee Spokus / Penn StateCreative Commons

"Find a problem you see in the world — something you’re passionate about, something that really matters to you — and work on that. When you hear most founders talk about their companies, you realize it’s all about fixing problems and finding solutions. You have to be hungry to find answers and to work hard for those answers. Know your strengths and focus on them. Get help from people who are strong in your weak spots. Understand when you’re missing something, and find people who fill that gap. Do you actually care about your product or idea? Are you willing to put in the time? In the end, building a company is about passion." 

-- Eli Kariv, founder of CrossedClouds.com, a Web development company focused on providing websites to small businesses and nonprofits at an affordable price. A senior in the Smeal College of Business, Kariv served as president of Innoblue, an entrepreneurship organization at Penn State, from 2012-14 and then interned with Mozilla Firefox on the marketing team in San Francisco. He co-founded the Penn State Summer Founders Program, which gives Penn State teams $10,000 to work on their ideas over the summer rather than taking an internship. Kariv is currently interning with Remind.com, a platform that makes it safe and simple for teachers to text their students and parents. 

Kariv spoke April 15 about the Penn State Summer Founders Program, which he helped to create with alumnus Matt Brezina (Class of 2003), during IST Startup Week, a week-long celebration showcasing talented innovators and entrepreneurs from around the country, including alumni from the College of Information Sciences and Technology and Penn State. Tune in to live streaming of events at http://startupweek.weebly.com/live-streams.html.

Last Updated April 20, 2015