GlowGo

Venture · Unit Economics

80% of students are still on campus past 11pm with nowhere to buy a tampon.

UBC Sauder Business Communications ProjectVenture Strategy / Unit Economics

80%

of surveyed students stayed on main campus past 11pm with no hygiene access

key findings

✓80% of surveyed students stay on campus past 11pm

✓62% expressed strong purchase interest; 60% of those backed it even with a tuition increase

✓$10K total startup cost, break-even around 2,200 units

✓Net profit grows more than 14x by year three

80%

surveyed students on campus past 11pm

62%

expressed strong purchase interest

$10K

total startup capital required

7.2×

revenue growth projected by year 3

GlowGo

lip care

period care

hand sanitizer

wipes

tap to pay$

why i chose this

A campus venture concept, wellness and hygiene vending at UBC, modelled on an existing program at the University of Michigan. This one started from an observation rather than a brief, which is why I keep it in the portfolio.

the challenge

UBC has 60,000+ students and roughly 60% commute. Our survey found 80% had stayed on main campus past 11pm, about half for club meetings and events, about 40% to study, with no access to basic hygiene and wellness products at the hours they're actually there.

research

Ran a primary survey to test both interest and price sensitivity, benchmarked against an existing wellness vending program at the University of Michigan.

what i noticed

It's a distribution gap, not a demand gap, which is a much cheaper problem to solve.

62% of respondents expressed strong interest in using GlowGo. Of those, 60% supported it even if it meant a tuition increase, the useful signal, because it prices the enthusiasm rather than just measuring it.

the strategy

Map a four-tier partnership model, brand, campus, wellness, and local vendors, and build the venture around lean, scalable unit economics instead of a one-off pilot.

execution

Partnership model mapped across four tiers: brand (CeraVe, The Ordinary), campus (AMS, C+CP), wellness, and local vendors.

Built a risk register across regulatory, financial, operational, and sustainability considerations.

$10,000 total startup investment, with vending machines as the main one-time cost; revenue projected from $17,000 to $122,400 by year three.

success measures

Break-even around 2,200 units, roughly 3 sales/day against a projected 10

Net margin doubling from 12% to 23%

Net profit up more than 14x by year three

Each machine paying for itself inside a year

reflection

This one taught me that not every good idea needs a bigger market. GlowGo didn't need more students, it needed the hours the existing students were already there.

Venture StrategyUnit EconomicsSurvey ResearchPartnership StrategyRisk Assessment

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