Student Agencies

Name

Student Agencies

Legal name

Student Agencies, Inc.

Website

https://studentagencies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Student Agencies Inc. operates ten student-run business units at Cornell University offering shipping, moving, real estate, tutoring, yearbook, mailroom, and related services to the Cornell and Greater Tompkins County community, generating over $2.5M in annual revenue and employing 300+ undergraduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Service Revenue (10 Business Units): Student Agencies operates 10 business units including Big Red Shipping & Storage, Hired Hands Moving Company, Student Agencies Real Estate, Cornellian Yearbook, Cornell Freshman Register, Student Agencies Tutoring, Cornell Bigger Beds, Big Red Mailroom, Campus Promotions, and Student Agencies Services. These businesses generate over $2.5 million in annual revenues combined.
2. Rental Income: Student Agencies Real Estate handles day-to-day operation, leasing, and management of all Student Agencies owned and affiliated properties including 64 residential apartments, 3 commercial spaces, and eHub entrepreneurial incubator space.
3. Foundation Donations: The Student Agencies Foundation accepts donations to support student scholarships, entrepreneurial learning, and facility expansion like eLab and eHub.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Student Agencies Inc. (SAI) operates 10 distinct business units at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY providing shipping, storage, moving, real estate, tutoring, yearbook publishing, and related services to Cornell students, faculty, and the local Ithaca community. All units are managed by undergraduate students who run real P&L-responsible operations as part of the oldest student-run company in the United States, founded in 1894.

Product overview

Student Agencies Inc. is a multi-agency portfolio of student-run businesses offering a diverse range of services to the Cornell University and Ithaca community. The portfolio consists of ten distinct agencies: Big Red Shipping & Storage (shipping/storage), Hired Hands Moving Company (moving services), Student Agencies Real Estate (property management), The Cornellian Yearbook (yearbook publication), The Cornell Freshman Register (freshman directory), Student Agencies Tutoring (academic tutoring), Cornell Bigger Beds (dorm furnishing), Big Red Mailroom (package delivery), Campus Promotions (marketing services), and Student Agencies Services (dry cleaning, housekeeping, ATM, FedEx shipping). The organization functions as a platform providing experiential business education while delivering practical services to the local community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Red Shipping & Storage: Shipping and storage services; Cornell's Preferred Vendor for campus storage and shipping
• Hired Hands Moving Company
• Student Agencies Real Estate
• Cornellian Yearbook
• Cornell Freshman Register
• Student Agencies Tutoring
• Cornell Bigger Beds
• Big Red Mailroom
• Campus Promotions
• eLab
• eHub

Products and services

• Big Red Shipping & Storage

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.5 million in annual revenues generated across 10 business units
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Entrepreneurship at CornellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008SAF established eLab in 2008 in collaboration with Entrepreneurship at Cornell. The program provides business acceleration services and mentorship to Cornell student entrepreneurs. eLab has worked with hundreds of students to refine business concepts and launch startups.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent Agencies operates as Cornell's preferred vendor for campus storage, shipping, and moving services. The relationship provides SAI with exclusive access to the Cornell student market and institutional endorsement. SAI is integral to Cornell's entrepreneurship ecosystem through eHub and eLab programs.
• Federal Express (FedEx)coreTechnology or IntegrationBig Red Shipping & Storage is an authorized shipping center for Federal Express, offering competitive rates for Ground, Express, and International Shipping. This partnership enables SAI to provide comprehensive shipping services as Cornell's preferred vendor.
• Life Changing Labs (LCL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowered by SAF, Life Changing Labs supports Cornell's top entrepreneurially minded students through initiatives including Cornell's summer incubator, Entrepreneurship Kickoff event, and Big Idea Competition.
• Cornell LaundryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollegetown Student Services offers dry cleaning through Cornell Laundry, Ithaca's premier dry cleaning provider since 1946. SAI provides the physical drop-off location while Cornell Laundry provides the actual cleaning services.
• Bank of AmericaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBank of America ATM located in the lobby of the Student Agencies Building, providing convenient cash withdrawals and account services for Cornell students, faculty, and visitors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The UPS Store: Franchise shipping and business services network that mirrors Big Red Shipping & Storage's offering — packaging, FedEx/UPS drop-off, mailbox, and printing services sold to walk-in retail customers.
• Two Men and a Truck: Largest franchised moving company in the U.S., serving local residential moves with hourly labor — direct competitor to Hired Hands Moving Company in the local-moves category.
• Varsity Tutors: Online and in-person tutoring platform offering K-12, college coursework, and test prep instruction — directly comparable to Student Agencies Tutoring in target audience (college and pre-college students) and service catalog.
• Wyzant: Online tutoring marketplace connecting students with vetted tutors across subjects and test prep — closest scaled, two-sided competitor to Student Agencies Tutoring's tutor-matching model.
• Tutor.com: On-demand 1:1 online tutoring service used by colleges and K-12 districts; directly comparable to Student Agencies Tutoring in academic-subject and college-coursework coverage.
• College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving: National franchise moving and junk-hauling brand that historically relied on college-student labor; operates with a similar on-demand service model and demographic focus on university communities as Hired Hands Moving Company.
• PostNet: Franchise network of shipping, printing, and business service centers; overlaps with Big Red Shipping & Storage and Student Agencies Services on courier drop-off, packaging, and print offerings.
• Pak Mail Centers of America: Franchise shipping, packaging, and mailbox service center chain; offers the same FedEx/UPS drop-off, packing, and logistics services as Big Red Shipping & Storage under a small-footprint retail model.

Broad incumbents

• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Global leader in rental housing property management operating hundreds of thousands of multifamily units; comparable in property-management discipline and student-housing exposure to Student Agencies Real Estate, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services and investment firm; comparable in property management, leasing, and facilities operations to Student Agencies Real Estate and Student Agencies Services, but operating across all major asset classes nationally and globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student Agencies