Student-made Store
Student-Made Store is a US-based, multi-tenant e-commerce platform that provides university entrepreneurship centers with branded, campus-specific online marketplaces where student creators sell products and develop real-world business skills.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersCharleston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Student-made Store does
Student-Made Store LLC is a privately held US-based company that operates a multi-tenant e-commerce marketplace platform purpose-built for university communities. The company partners with university entrepreneurship centers to launch campus-specific online marketplaces where student creators, makers, and entrepreneurs sell products to the campus community. Each participating campus receives a customized marketplace brand (e.g., studentmadeasu.com, studentmadejmu.com) and a service package that includes student-manager team training, merchandising support, pop-up shop events, and compliance posture (PCI DSS v4.0.1, WCAG 2.1 AA, HECVAT). The platform is built on commodity infrastructure—Squarespace for the storefronts, Stripe and Square for payment processing, AccessiBe for accessibility, and Security Metrics for quarterly PCI scanning—rather than proprietary technology.
The company's revenue model is a hybrid of B2B subscription and marketplace commerce. Universities pay semester-based subscription fees under a tiered pricing structure: a $1,000 one-time Feasibility Study, a Starter tier at $2,500 setup plus $5,000 per semester, and an Advanced tier at $2,500 setup plus $7,500 per semester with unlimited creators and enhanced marketing. Creators do not pay to join. Secondary revenue comes from marketplace transactions (processed via third-party processors, with the take rate not disclosed), branded merchandise sold through a central shop, and digital gift cards now available across 24 campus marketplaces.
The go-to-market is a sales-led, community-amplified model: introductory calls are scheduled via Calendly with university entrepreneurship centers, Fall and Spring semesters are the primary launch windows with a 3–4 month implementation timeline, and each campus runs a 7-person student manager team that drives organic word-of-mouth and creator recruitment. As of the Fall 2024 to Spring 2025 reporting period the platform supported 400+ student-founders across 15 campuses, with three additional campuses announced for Fall 2026. The company is founder-owned, with no disclosed venture or institutional funding, and operates primarily in the South, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and Northeast regions of the United States.
Student-made Store firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Student-made Store
- Legal name
- Student-Made Store LLC
- Website
- https://studentmadestore.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Student-Made Store is a US-based, multi-tenant e-commerce platform that provides university entrepreneurship centers with branded, campus-specific online marketplaces where student creators sell products and develop real-world business skills.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Student-made Store industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Campus E-commerce Marketplace Platform
- NAICS
- General Merchandise Retailers (455)
- SIC
- Retail-Variety Stores (5331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Campus Convenience Stores & Markets (C-Store) (EDALADAD)
Keywords
Where Student-made Store is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charleston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Student-made Store business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- University Partnership Fees: Semester-based subscription fees charged to university partners for program access. Universities pay setup fees plus recurring semester fees based on tier level (Starter or Advanced)
- Marketplace Transactions: Platform facilitates sales between student creators and campus community customers; transaction processing handled through third-party processors Stripe and Square
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Feasibility Study - One-semester assessment program |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Starter - Entry-level program with limited creators |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Advanced - Full program with unlimited creators |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Student-made Store product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Student-Made Store operates a custom online marketplace platform that enables university entrepreneurship centers to provide branded, student-run e-commerce storefronts where student creators sell handmade and original products. Each partner campus receives a customized marketplace template aligned with the university's mission, with on-campus student management teams handling operations. The platform processes transactions through PCI DSS compliant payment partners and supports 15+ U.S. campuses.
Product overview
Student-Made Store operates as a multi-tenant e-commerce platform providing campus-specific marketplace websites for university communities. The core product is the Student-Made Store Platform—a white-label marketplace template customized for each participating campus. Supporting offerings include Campus Gift Cards for 24 partner campuses, a centralized Merch shop selling Student-Made branded apparel and accessories, and Monthly Top Products featuring curated student creators. The company also offers tiered campus partnership programs (Feasibility Study, Starter Tier, and Advanced Tier) with pricing ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 per semester for universities wanting to launch their own student entrepreneur marketplace.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Student-Made Store Platform A custom multi-tenant e-commerce marketplace platform that enables campus communities to support student entrepreneurs, creators, and makers in selling their products. The platform is student-run on each campus and provides branded marketplace templates customized to each university's mission and identity, with secure payment processing and full operational support.
- Campus Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase across campus marketplaces, allowing customers to give the gift of supporting student entrepreneurs at a specific school.
- Student-Made Branded Merchandise Central shop selling Student-Made branded merchandise including apparel (hoodies, crewnecks, t-shirts, hats), accessories (tote bags, tumblers, stickers, notebooks), and office supplies.
Companies that use Student-made Store
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Student-made Store technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature3 records
Student-made Store partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Lane Two LearningcoreStrategic partnership with Lane Two Learning to provide greater impact when campuses launch Student-Made branches. This partnership is part of Student-Made's strategy to partner with reputable programs that enhance the value provided to university partners.
- Dale Carnegie TrainingcoreStrategic partnership with Dale Carnegie Training as the first official partner in Student-Made's initiative to partner with other reputable programs. This partnership aims to provide greater impact for campuses launching Student-Made branches.
- StripecorePayment processing platform providing PCI-compliant transaction processing for all campus marketplaces. Stripe provides SOC3 reports and attestation of compliance documentation.
- SquarecorePayment processing platform providing PCI-compliant transaction processing. Square provides SOC2 reports and PCI DSS compliance documentation for the platform.
- SquarespacecoreWebsite platform used to build and host all campus marketplace templates with custom branding for each university partner.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Student-made Store competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Etsy: Global handmade goods marketplace where individual creators (including many student makers) sell directly to consumers; broader and more mature than Student-Made but addresses the same creator-to-buyer dynamic for handcrafted goods.
- Custom Ink: Established custom apparel retailer serving groups, teams, schools, and organizations; offers a broader catalog and scale than Student-Made, but competes for the same campus group merchandise spend.
- Shopify: Dominant e-commerce platform powering millions of small merchants and creator storefronts; relevant as the underlying commerce infrastructure layer that Student-Made could either partner with or compete against as it scales.
- Varsity Brands: Large campus-focused apparel, spirit wear, and cheer/sports merchandise company serving US schools and universities; a broader incumbent in the campus merchandise category where Student-Made competes.
Direct peers
- Bonfire: Custom print-on-demand and fundraising platform that lets schools, nonprofits, and campus groups launch branded apparel and merchandise stores—closely mirroring Student-Made's model of enabling campus communities to sell custom products through a white-label storefront.
- UNiDAYS: Student verification and discount marketplace platform targeting the same college student demographic; comparable in its student-segment focus and campus community-led marketing model.
- Student Beans: Student discount and marketplace platform serving university communities with brand partnerships and student-targeted commerce—highly comparable in target audience and community-led GTM.
Emerging players
- StickerMule: Custom sticker and product platform serving schools, creators, and small businesses with on-demand printing and storefront tools—an adjacent niche in custom creator merchandise for campus and group customers.
- Printful: Print-on-demand platform and marketplace infrastructure used by creators (including student sellers) to launch merchandise without inventory—comparable enabling technology for Student-Made's student-creator supply side.
- TeePublic: Creator-driven marketplace where independent designers sell apparel and lifestyle products, comparable to Student-Made's student-creator marketplace model but with a broader creator pool and consumer audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Student-made Store social profiles
Digital presenceStudent-made Store compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Student-made Store financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Student-made Store leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Student-made Store funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Student-made Store M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Student-made Store
What does Student-made Store do?
Student-Made Store operates a custom online marketplace platform that enables university entrepreneurship centers to provide branded, student-run e-commerce storefronts where student creators sell handmade and original products. Each partner campus receives a customized marketplace template aligned with the university's mission, with on-campus student management teams handling operations. The platform processes transactions through PCI DSS compliant payment partners and supports 15+ U.S. campuses.
Is Student-made Store a public or private company?
Student-made Store is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Student-made Store founded?
Student-made Store was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Student-made Store based?
Student-made Store is headquartered in Charleston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Student-made Store make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. University Partnership Fees are the primary driver. The others are marketplace Transactions.
Who are Student-made Store's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Etsy, Custom Ink, Shopify and Varsity Brands. Direct peers are Bonfire, UNiDAYS and Student Beans. Emerging players are StickerMule, Printful and TeePublic.
Does Student-made Store have an API?
No public API is recorded for Student-made Store.
What industry is Student-made Store in?
Student-made Store's product category is Campus E-commerce Marketplace Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALADAD, Campus Convenience Stores & Markets (C-Store). Its NAICS code is 455 and its SIC code is 5331.