Sumpto

Sumpto was a New York City-based company founded in 2012 by Elliot Moscow and Ben Kosinski. The firm operated an online platform designed to connect brands with college students, positioning these students as potential brand ambassadors. Ben Kosinski's journey to creating Sumpto stemmed from his own varied college experience, which included playing basketball at Clark University before transferring to the University of Miami. This background gave him insight into the social dynamics of college life and the potential for influential students to organically promote brands. He identified a disconnect between companies and the collegiate demographic and envisioned a platform to bridge that gap.

The business model centered on providing a dual-sided marketplace. For companies, Sumpto offered marketing and consultancy services, allowing them to create profiles and connect with specific segments of the student population. For students, the platform was a way to gain access to internships, job placements, and rewards from brands in exchange for their social influence. A key feature of the service was the "Sumpto Score," a proprietary algorithm that measured a student's social influence based on data pulled from their connected social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. This score, ranging from 1 to 100, determined their eligibility for rewards.

In October 2013, Sumpto secured a single seed funding round of $350,000. The investment came from Social Starts and included participation from Nick Brien, the former CEO of McCann World Group. Despite this early backing, the company is now considered deadpooled.

Keywords: student marketing, brand ambassador platform, social influence score, college marketing, student brand ambassadors, Sumpto, Elliot Moscow, Ben Kosinski, Social Starts, collegiate marketing, youth marketing, influencer marketing, social media analytics, university marketing, student engagement, deadpooled startup, marketing platform, online marketplace, student outreach