Who knew paying tuition could be fun? Don't think it's possible? Think again.
In 2007, Dimitri Sillam came up with an idea for a platform that allowed students to play games in order to ultimately pay for college. Sillam had his own tuition bills to take care of, but he evidently wanted to further his plan. After mentioning his idea to Mikhael Naayem, his best friend from high school, they collaborated on a project that would soon become Grantoo.
In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed, which significantly cut down on those who participated in online gambling games like poker. With this in mind, the two friends tried to develop a project where youth could still have fun online, but legally. However, they had no background in business and their plans only got so far before putting the thought on the backburner.
Sillam and Naayem sat on the idea for 5 years, before meeting up one night last year and discussing it in further detail. This led to the thought of possibly having students donate to charity, as well. On March 25, 2012, Grantoo was born and became a social gaming platform that allowed students to play games and win educational and charitable rewards, for free.
"We both noticed that the cost of education was huge," Naayem told GameNGuide.
So, what's the catch?
There is no catch. All students need to do, if they win money, is give a portion of their winnings to the foundation of their choice. The charities are listed on the Grantoo website and overall, the company has had a very good success rate.
According to Naayem, $20,000 have been given out so far and $7,000 worth of charities.
Although there is a required minimum of 10% of earnings that should be given to a charity, winners have been pledging 35%, on average.
"We wanted to introduce students at an early age to philanthropy," Naayem said, "And make the world a better place."
It is a company that has grown enough to be nationally recognized by all colleges/universities, and to have offices in San Francisco, New York, and Geneva. There are currently three games available: Wordy Bird, Quiz Night and Grantoo Hold'em. For an upcoming tournament, there will be $2,000 up for grabs.
The Grantoo Team is still testing out the site in order to make it more user-friendly, but Grantoo itself has definitely come a long way.
Sometime in July, they will have a month long of tournaments, with the hope of giving out $50,000. The vision of Grantoo is to provide finances that will enable a student to pay for a whole year's worth of tuition.
Visit www.Grantoo.org for an opportunity to pay your tuition with a smile on your face.
