Goodwall

Goodwall is a professional development network created primarily for students, entrepreneurs, and young professionals which allows members to connect over shared interests, present themselves to universities and employers, and discover opportunities from scholarships to jobs. Members are prompted to build a professional and visually appealing profile that shows off who they are and what they have achieved in their lives,[1] with a preference for graphic or video messages, rather than a plain-text version, such as on a resume. The Goodwall app is available on both iOS and Android.[2]

Goodwall SA
FoundedJanuary 7, 2014 (2014-01-07) in Geneva, Switzerland
FounderTaha Bawa (CEO), Omar Bawa (COO)
HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland
Number of employees
50+
Goodwall App
Original author(s)
  • Omar Bawa
  • Taha Bawa
Developer(s)Goodwall SA
Initial releaseJanuary 7, 2014 (2014-01-07)
Operating systemiOS, Android
TypeSocial networking service

Goodwall was founded by Omar and Taha Bawa and was launched as a website in January 2014.[3] In 2015, it was developed into a mobile-first platform. Goodwall SA, the company behind the platform, is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.[4]

The Goodwall Community

Goodwall was initially geared towards students, from high school students to those in university. Later, the company increased its scope to include entrepreneurs and young professionals. Today, the average age range of Goodwall’s members are 16–26.

As of 2020, Goodwall has grown to over 1.5 million members located in more than 150 countries.[5]

Posts

Goodwall offers 4 main posting options: default posts, questions, ideas, and achievements. On all post types, members can add text, video, images, keywords, and a location tag. For questions, ideas, and achievements, a unique banner marks the post as such, allowing other Goodwall members to locate relevant material in their feeds and react accordingly (i.e., answer the question, give feedback on an idea).[6] In ideas, Goodwall has pioneered the "virtual elevator pitch," a modern take on the traditional elevator pitch. [7][8][9]

Goodwall has listings for jobs and internships around the world. As a job board, Goodwall includes the standard search functions, such as location search, keywords, bookmarking, and more. On the education side, Goodwall has scholarships and awards and courses.

The Goodwall Blog

Goodwall’s blog was relaunched in late 2019 with an updated design and dedicated visuals. The blog aims to focus on many issues close to the hearts of students and young professionals, including entrepreneurship,[10] navigating academia, finding jobs and careers, social impact, climate change,[11] locating scholarships and awards, motivation,[12] and more.

More features exist on Goodwall, such as a messaging ability among members.

Partnerships

Goodwall works with universities, companies, and organizations providing opportunities for early professional development.

Universities

Goodwall partners with universities across 4 continents. High school students can find matching universities based on their grades, location and field of interest.

Employers

Goodwall works with companies in all industries and offers internship and job opportunities to young people.

History

The idea for Goodwall originated from End Ignorance, a blog that was created by Omar Bawa in 2012 with the goal of highlighting the various crises occurring around the world. Wanting to encourage positive deeds in response to these crises, the Bawa brothers expanded the blog into the social network that became Goodwall.[13]

Goodwall’s team has grown globally to over 50 people in based in 9 countries: the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Serbia, the Philippines, Burundi, and Poland. The company has raised over $16 million in funding and is strategically backed by Randstad, one of the largest HR and recruitment companies globally, and Manixer, a private equity firm focused on education.

On December 13, 2019, Goodwall's Android-version app reached a milestone of 1,000,000 downloads. In early June 2020, the Goodwall community surpassed 1.5 million members.[14]

Awards and Recognition

With its growth and positive mission, Goodwall has been mentioned in, among others, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc Magazine, The Next Web, and the University Herald.[15] In September of 2019, Goodwall was named as one of “Switzerland’s best scale-ups” by Venturelab.[16]

References
  1. About goodwall. (2017). Retrieved August 21, 2017, from https://www.goodwall.org/about
  2. Goodwall. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2017, from https://www.goodwall.org
  3. Rohampton, J. (2017, May 15). How Startup Goodwall Is Using Social Media To Encourage Students To Succeed In School. Retrieved August 22, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimmyrohampton/2017/05/11/how-social-media-is-impacting-how-students-learn/#5c71b3ec7110
  4. LinkedIn. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/5001199/
  5. Yale University. (2017, April 03). Retrieved August 22, 2017, from http://globalscholars.yale.edu/news/yygs-launches-new-alumni-platform-partnership-goodwall
  6. November 27, Christian Eilers; 2019 (2019-11-27). "Introducing Goodwall Posts: Share Updates, Ask Questions & Pitch Ideas". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. November 18, Christian Eilers; 2019 (2019-11-18). "Introducing Virtual Elevator Pitches: Share Ideas & Change the World". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. November 19, Christian Eilers; 2019 (2019-11-19). "3 Reasons Why Every Entrepreneur Should Pitch Ideas on Goodwall". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. November 19, Christian Eilers; 2019 (2019-11-19). "How to Pitch Great Ideas on Goodwall: 4 Easy Tips for Success". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. December 8, Christian Eilers; 2019 (2019-12-08). "Entrepreneur Glossary: 15+ Entrepreneurship Vocabulary Terms Defined". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. "7 Ways to Beat Climate Change That Are Simple, Cheap, and Effective". Goodwall Blog. 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  12. November 14, Christian Eilers; 2019 (2019-11-14). "50+ Best Entrepreneurship Quotes to Inspire, Motivate, and Encourage". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-10.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. Goodwall. (n.d.). Retrieved August 21, 2017, from https://www.goodwall.org/team
  14. June 10, Christian Eilers; 2020 (2020-06-10). "Goodwall Reaches New Highs - 1.5 Million Members!". Goodwall Blog. Retrieved 2020-06-16.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. Marks, E. (2016, August 24). The Social Network Where High School Students Can Get Noticed By Universities And Win Scholarships. Retrieved August 22, 2017, from http://www.universityherald.com/articles/38364/20160824/social-network-where-high-school-students-noticed-universities-win-scholarships.htm
  16. "Tracking the growth of Switzerland's best scale-ups". Venturelab.ch. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
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