  {"id":648382,"date":"2025-04-17T07:58:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T11:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=648382"},"modified":"2025-04-22T10:10:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:10:58","slug":"penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\/","title":{"rendered":"How a campus start-up is reinventing the networking experience"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Four juniors and one graduate are behind Penpal, the first digital business card created by students for students.<\/h2>\n<p>Ameenul (Gem) Haque \u201926 was amazed by the frenzied networking that took place at the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers conference in Boston last fall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was really fast-paced, and the recruiters just wanted to know if you were a perfect fit for their companies or not,\u201d he says. \u201cThey collected a pile of r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, put all those papers on a table, and moved on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Haque had a different plan. The computer science and digital media studies double major tapped his <a href=\"https:\/\/penpal.cards\/\">Penpal<\/a> digital business card on the smartphones of about 30 recruiters. In an instant, his r\u00e9sum\u00e9, LinkedIn profile, research projects, and portfolio were transferred.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe recruiters were super impressed,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was convenient and quick, and it made me stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Haque is one of four <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\">Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a> students and one alumnus who developed Penpal, joining Tamuda Chimhanda \u201926, Lizmairi\u00a0Vargas Santa \u201926, Alessio Simoya \u201922, and Meghna Tetambe \u201925S (MBA). Haque, Chimhanda, and Vargas Santa met as recipients of the <a href=\"https:\/\/admissions.rochester.edu\/handler-scholarship\/\">Handler Scholarship<\/a>, the premier scholarship award at the University.<\/p>\n<p>While digital business cards are not new, Penpal\u2019s founders say their product is unique. \u201cIt\u2019s created by students for students, and we\u2019ve developed features that allow students to show their most important information,\u201d Vargas Santa says. \u201cOur passion is helping students just like us.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_648502\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-648502\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-648502 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Five Penpal business cards displayed against a white background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-1680x1120.jpg 1680w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-1250x833.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/inline-penpal-digital-business-cards-660x440.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-648502\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>TAP AND CONNECT: <\/strong>Penpal digital business cards are equipped with near field communication (NFC) chips\u2014similar to tap-to-pay cards\u2014allowing users to share contact information with a simple tap. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Making the networking experience ever better<\/h3>\n<p>Penpal was formed in September 2022, when its founders saw a need for a better way to network.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of us had been attending conferences recruiting for internships, and all we saw at each station was a large deck of business cards,\u201d says Chimhanda, a computer science major from Zimbabwe. \u201cWe figured a digital business card would be a quick way of exchanging information and making us stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"pullquote\">\n<h3>The Handler Scholarship<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-size: 90%;\">The Alan and Jane Handler Scholarship offers complete financial support to academically qualified students who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives. Scholars are selected on the basis of academic excellence, outstanding potential to be future leaders, and demonstrated mastery of complex challenges.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 90%;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/admissions.rochester.edu\/handler-scholarship\/\">Learn more about the University\u2019s premier award.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Penpal is powered by near field communication (NFC), a short-range wireless technology that allows devices to exchange data using radio waves. The cards, which retail online for $19.99, are manufactured in China, with the embedded NFC chips using the same technology that exists for tap-to-pay credit cards and Apple Pay.<\/p>\n<p>Each cardholder sets up a profile on their smartphone and then can share information with any other smartphone\u2014all with a simple tap. There\u2019s also a QR code for those who prefer that method. At any point, Penpal users can modify the information they want others to receive. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WjYBApvXx60\">See a demonstration<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>In addition to allowing users to share their r\u00e9sum\u00e9, portfolio, and other important items, Penpal comes with tools such as r\u00e9sum\u00e9 tailoring to help improve a person\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n<h3>Establishing a business\u2014one tap at a time<\/h3>\n<p>Penpal\u2019s value as a student networking tool hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed. The start-up captured first place at the 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/aincenter\/mark-ain-business-model-competition\/\">Mark Ain Business Model Competition<\/a>, sponsored by the University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/aincenter\/\">Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/a>. In 2024, Penpal won the Global Student Entrepreneur Award for Western New York.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s first taste of success came in March 2024 at the National Society of Black Engineers convention in Atlanta, with more than 100 cards sold in one day. But its largest clients have been two career centers on the University\u2019s River Campus.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_648582\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-648582\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-648582\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Penpal-Gem-Haque.jpg\" alt=\"Student stands behind a table piled with examples of digital business cards while another students stands in front, asking questions. They are in a brightly lit atrium and next to a sign \" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Penpal-Gem-Haque.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Penpal-Gem-Haque-472x630.jpg 472w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-648582\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>BUILDING A BETTER BUSINESS CARD:<\/strong> Ameenul (Gem) Haque \u201926 demonstrates the Penpal card for fellow students at Wilson Commons. (provided photo \/ Tamuda Chimhanda \u201926)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>LaTanya Johns, assistant dean at <a href=\"https:\/\/simon.rochester.edu\/\">Simon Business School<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/rochester.concerncenter.com\/resource\/265\">Benet Career Management Center<\/a>, ordered 350 cards to aid Simon students in their job-seeking efforts. She says traditional business cards have lost favor due to COVID-19, which made people less inclined to pass paper back and forth. Penpal is a quicker, safer, and eco-friendly alternative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cQR codes have become a more acceptable means of sharing and transferring information, and Penpal has expanded on that by allowing the cardholder to transfer their contact information and other pertinent information,\u201d Johns says. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to offer the cards to our students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/careereducation.rochester.edu\/\">Greene Center for Career Education and Connections<\/a> also purchased 100 Penpal cards to give away as prizes at signature events. Executive director Jodyi Wren says networking is a \u201ccrucial part\u201d of career education, helping students navigate internship and job searches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re committed to supporting our students and their entrepreneurial pursuits while making networking more approachable and less intimidating,\u201d she says. \u201cPenpal\u00a0gives students a practical tool to build and maintain their professional connections.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Caleb Jakes \u201926, a business and English double major from Newark, New Jersey, received a Penpal card at a recent Greene Center event and says it\u2019s a game changer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an effective tool for networking because it provides a sense of efficiency and reliability to the user,\u201d says Jakes, who finds the card allows him to stand out at conferences. \u201cI connect with highly successful entrepreneurs and business owners. I tap their phone, and they are in love with the efficient and unique way we exchange information.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Building for the future, in Rochester and beyond<\/h3>\n<p>Because digital business cards are a competitive market, the Penpal team is constantly working to differentiate their product. This year, they created a feature that allows a user\u2019s contact information to go directly to a recruiter\u2019s inbox for later viewing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay you\u2019re networking in a fast-paced environment, and you\u2019ve only got two minutes,\u201d Chimhanda says. \u201cI tap my card, and the recruiter can have it sent to their email, with a photo of the student and a summary of their profile. After meeting more than 100 students, you\u2019ve probably forgotten who someone is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Penpal team also regularly discusses the company\u2019s future, including the immediate goal of reaching out to career centers at local and national colleges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUltimately, Penpal has to become a household tool across universities,\u201d Tetambe says. \u201cWe hope to eventually grow into a full-suite software company that supports students across different parts of their transition from academics into professional careers\u2014things like interview prep tools and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While it may take some convincing to get students to ditch the old-fashioned way of networking\u2014an emailed or printed r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014in favor of the newest technology, Tetambe and her cofounders are up for the challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s never easy stepping out of your comfort zone,\u201d she says. \u201cBut tools like the Penpal card allow job candidates to showcase their skills in a more dynamic and engaging way. And it\u2019s certainly a great conversation starter!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Four Rochester students and one alumnus developed a start-up venture called Penpal, a digital business card to help students network. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":672,"featured_media":648572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[27172,42,35112,40082,10406,40512],"class_list":["post-648382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-ain-center-for-entrepreneurship","tag-alumni","tag-class-of-2022","tag-class-of-2026","tag-simon-business-school","tag-undergraduate-program-in-digital-media-studies"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How a campus start-up is reinventing the networking experience<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Four Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ students and one alumnus developed a start-up venture called Penpal, a digital business card to help students network.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a campus start-up is reinventing the networking experience\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Four Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ students and one alumnus developed a start-up venture called Penpal, a digital business card to help students network.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-17T11:58:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-22T14:10:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/fea-penpal-digital-business-cards-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim Mandelaro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim Mandelaro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jim Mandelaro\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/35537746af700f24d7e52e350d95b124\"},\"headline\":\"How a campus start-up is reinventing the networking experience\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-17T11:58:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-22T14:10:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1188,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/penpal-digital-business-card-campus-start-up-648382\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/fea-penpal-digital-business-cards.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ain Center for Entrepreneurship\",\"alumni\",\"Class of 2022\",\"Class of 2026\",\"Simon Business School\",\"Undergraduate Program in Digital Media Studies\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Campus &amp; 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