Campus and Fizz founders outline audience-growth tactics at TechCrunch Disrupt
Tade Oyerinde and Teddy Solomon, founders of the online school Campus and the college social app Fizz respectively, spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt about practical approaches to building long-lasting communities and retaining user engagement.
Both leaders described product decisions and business model choices shaped by direct feedback from users and partners. Their remarks highlighted how education and campus life products can scale without losing the elements that keep users active and committed.
Oyerinde positioned Campus as a flexible online school offering associate degrees and industry-focused certificates. He said the program mix includes degrees in fields such as information technology and business administration, alongside certificates in areas like cosmetology and phlebotomy.
The school has grown to enroll more than 3,000 students and employs more than 100 professors on at least a part-time basis, Oyerinde said. That scale, he noted, has allowed Campus to test a range of course formats and to respond to employer demand for targeted skills training.
To meet that demand, Campus has introduced à la carte courses that teach discrete skills. Oyerinde described employer interest in short, focused classes that equip staff with specific capabilities, citing examples such as "vibe coding." He argued this model reflects a broader trend of adult upskilling and lifelong learning.
Oyerinde also framed Campus as a subscription- and membership-oriented product for skill development. He suggested that future learners — not only those pursuing two-year degrees — will access ongoing educational services through membership models. "Everyone in this room, not just two-year degree-seeking people, will be able to go to Campus and learn with us," he told the audience. "Live, online classes, taught by amazing people."
Affordability and financial accessibility were part of Campus's strategy. Oyerinde said the school makes use of the Pell Grant to keep tuition within reach for many students. He also noted that Campus has attracted high-profile investors on its cap table, including figures from OpenAI and Discord.
Those backers, according to Oyerinde, reduce pressure to prioritize short-term profits over long-term change in the education sector. "They don't need the money," he said, adding that such investors "really want to fundamentally shape the way that education works in this country for the better."
Solomon described a different but related trajectory for Fizz, a social app built for college students. Since launching in 2021, the company has expanded to operate on more than 200 college campuses and, at one point, had a presence in high schools.
Fizz has attracted venture funding and has raised more than $40 million from investors including Owl Ventures and NEA, Solomon said. The product has evolved with features aimed at increasing engagement, such as a peer-to-peer marketplace and richer media options.
The Fizz marketplace has listed more than 100,000 items, illustrating how commerce features can be integrated into a social platform for students. The app also added a video component to complement text posts and enable more expressive interactions among users.
Looking ahead, Solomon said Fizz is working on a product called Global Fizz to expand beyond the U.S. He detailed the company's focus on monetization and retention during his appearances, including comments on TechCrunch's Equity podcast.
On monetization, Solomon emphasized advertising as the near-term priority. "We’ve already worked with companies like Perplexity," he said, and noted that while subscription models have succeeded in some apps, Fizz is concentrating on building an ad business and enhancing the product experience.
Retention remained central to Solomon's message: delivering a product that "keeps our users around and makes them happy." He summarized the company’s perspective on users succinctly: "The users are everything."
Both founders pointed to direct signals from users and partners as drivers of product decisions. Campus responded to employer requests for discrete skill training, while Fizz added marketplace and video features in response to campus community needs.
Their comments at TechCrunch Disrupt underscored a shared thesis: sustainable communities are built by aligning product features with the everyday needs of users and by selecting business models that support long-term engagement rather than short-term revenue alone.
Key Topics
Campus Online School, Fizz College Social App, Techcrunch Disrupt, Tade Oyerinde, Teddy Solomon, Online Degrees And Industry Certificates, A La Carte Skills Courses, Employer-focused Skills Training, Adult Upskilling And Lifelong Learning, Subscription And Membership Learning Model, Affordability And Pell Grant Access, Student Peer-to-peer Marketplace, Video And Rich Media Features, Advertising Monetization Strategy, User Retention And Community Building