project type: my first-startup.
bistara
a platform to hire creative college freelancers.
🎓 4,000+ students
🏛️ 30+ university partnerships
📣 7 major brand campaigns
💼 thousands in freelance earnings
press. Forbes. The Boston Globe. Boston Magazine. VentureFizz. Business News Daily. Magazine Le Mensuel. Built In Boston. Startup Boston Podcast. El Planeta.
story. College creatives had the skills but not the opportunities. Instead of building portfolios or earning through design, music, videography, or photography, many were stuck with odd jobs. Employers, meanwhile, had no easy way to reach this untapped pool of talent. I built bistara to change that: a platform connecting students and brands through freelance work.
approach. I built a community of 4,000+ students across 30 universities. With brand campaigns, university partnerships, and thousands in freelance earnings, the platform turned untapped student creativity into real opportunity.
awards. BDL Accelerate, Global Top 5 Startup Competition.
Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.
Emerson College Accelerator.
Brand Platform & Visual Identity: Built the brand and visual world (identity design by Jessica Chaker).
Events & Collaborations: Produced 20+ events sponsored by Under Armour, Red Bull, House of Blues, and other major brands, putting student work center stage.
Including a pop-up gallery show with live art, mixed media, pop-up performances, workshops, and a fitness class.
Content & Storytelling: Created social content and live music sessions that showcased the energy and creativity of the community.
Community & Partnerships: Partnered with career centers at 20+ universities to open doors for creative freelancing, ran workshops on campuses across the U.S. and at a college entrepreneurship retreat in Costa Rica, and hosted fundraisers that put student talent to work for good.
bonus point: I made my baby cousin proud :)
