Online MBA alumna Eliza Lin guest lectured in a mobile marketing course
Launching a technology startup is not for the faint of heart.
Eliza Lin (MBA 2019) chuckled about the trials and tribulations she’s experienced bringing Boulder-based Returned.com to market. As the co-founder and chief product officer of a startup trying to disrupt the online returns space, Lin is intimately familiar with the challenges that come with gathering honest consumer feedback.
So, when she needed more sample consumers, she looked to the Daniels College of Business.
As a recent graduate of the Online MBA program, Lin knew the quality of students at Daniels and was optimistic she’d be able to share lessons with them, while they tested her application.
Professor Jenny Dobmeier answered the call, inviting Lin to guest lecture in her Mobile Marketing course this fall. Lin came in twice before launching Returned.com and once after it went live. The student feedback has proved crucial for Lin and her company.
“I had conducted hundreds of interviews already and my target demographic is 18-40, so I wanted to get honest feedback,” she said. “The students here are so smart, kind and engaging. What a gift.”
For Dobmeier, Lin’s visit helped bridge the gap between the classroom and the business world.
“Inviting Eliza to my mobile marketing class provided students with insights into the realities of launching and running a digital business. While our students are digital natives, there’s so much to be learned about what it takes to be successful in this space. Eliza’s experience not only brought these lessons to life but also inspires our students to dream big about their own future endeavors,” she said.
Lin’s startup hasn’t taken outside investment and has limited marketing resources, so student feedback has truly helped shape Returned.com’s offering.
“Feedback from the students has been critical,” Lin said.
Returned.com launched in October on the Apple App store, promising to revolutionize the way consumers handle returns. The application helps track and manage all purchases in one place, supporting more than 130 retailers, including Target, Nike, lululemon and REI. Their AI return agent will seamlessly initiate and complete the return for you. Currently, the agent will send you a return shipping label, but in the near future users can schedule a return package pickup or donate the return to charity.
Adding a return charity donation option can be traced directly to Lin’s time at Daniels. While at the College, she was exposed to the Daniels vision of “pioneering business for the public good,” a value that has become a key pillar of her business.
“We make returns easy, but the future state of the business is connecting returns with donations. We understand the environmental impact of returns and are creating a vehicle for good. That’s a gift that Daniels gave me,” she said.
In addition to its academic reputation, Lin chose Daniels because she wanted to build a local network. Now, in the years following graduation, she’s becoming more active in the 40,000-member Daniels alumni network, dispensing the lessons she’s learned to the next generation of business leaders.
“It’s beautiful to be able to come back and share my experiences,” she said.