50 BCBusiness april 2016
miguel Kudry
Founder and ceo,
helphub services inc.
age: 24
THE STORY: Growing up in
Caracas, Venezuela, Miguel
Kudry admits to being a ter-
rible student ("I did summer
school every year in high
school"). Rather than hit the
books, Kudry fooled around
on the Internet, teaching
himself to code and launch-
ing several projects, includ-
ing an Internet radio station
and a photo-sharing site.
When his online endeavours
started making money,
Kudry's mother saw poten-
tial and encouraged him to
save up. That cash partially
nanced a move immedi-
ately after high school to
Vancouver, where he spent
a year brushing up on his
English skills before studying
business at Douglas College.
Again he was confronted
with his scholastic limita-
tions, and after failing a few
courses Kudry came up
with the idea for HelpHub:
an open marketplace that
allows students and tutors to
connect through instant mes-
sage on an as-needed basis.
Instead of oŸering formal
tutoring sessions, HelpHub
lets students get help in
whatever form they need,
whether it's just a quick
clarication on a homework
question or ongoing support
with a di¢cult class. Tutors
set their own price—charging
by the question, minute or
hour—while HelpHub takes
a 15 per cent commission.
Student reviews provide a
degree of quality control. "It
was a way to solve my own
problem," Kudry says.
MARKERS OF SUCCESS:
Since its launch in 2013,
HelpHub has grown to
include more than 8,000
M i G u e l k u d r y
a l e x t r o l l
