Sofia Babool

Founder and CEO, Bright Owl

BS’22 Neuroscience

  • Founder and CEO of Bright Owl – a virtual tutoring company aimed at empowering and inspiring students to achieve their academic goals.
  • Featured in publications like NBC5 News, ISMAILIMAIL, and Tedx Talks.
  • Honors include winning first place at the TiE University Global Pitch Competition – Dallas Chapter, awarded a grant from the HelloAlice Small Business Growth Fund, grabbed first place at EO GSEA – Fort Worth, was a runner-up in the 2021 UT Dallas Big Idea Competition and placed third place at the University of Georgia’s “Next Top Entrepreneur” competition.

What problem(s) did you set out trying to solve? 

According to the University of Michigan, “one of the bigger studies, conducted by consulting group McKinsey & Company, found that students, on average, could be behind by up to nine months in math, for example. For students of color, it increased to 12 months.” According to various sources, students were not only months behind when it came to academic learning during COVID, but very few families can afford the high prices of physical, in-person tutoring. Bright Owl is a virtual tutoring company dedicated to providing families with affordable and equitable education over Zoom. At Bright Owl, we provide each student with a free, online diagnostic assessment that assesses their current academic plans and devises an academic recommendation. Today, I woke up to a company of 62 students and over 30 tutors with an MRR of over $12,000.

Bright Owl is a virtual tutoring company, designed to assist students with homework help, test preparation, and college advising for students in grades KG-12. Since August, we have grown to touch the lives of students in Texas, Florida, Canada, California, Pakistan, and Oklahoma.

When did you realize you were working on something with business potential? In other words, at what point did you know this was something you wanted to focus a lot of your time and energy on? 

After listening to various Forbes entrepreneurial podcasts, I wake up each morning with one question on my lips, “how do I want to show up to the world today?” Although a deceptively simple question, it helps me recenter and verbalize my focus for the entire day. Ever since beginning a company this past August, I choose to hustle over my vision- erasing educational inequity, one child at a time. While sitting in my friend’s apartment, the news blared the headline “Growing Education Gap” on the screen. As my friend and I did more research, we realized that the increased price of tutoring wasn’t allowing students to get access to quality affordable education assistance. After releasing our website, we were able to book a customer almost immediately, validating our idea and the fact that students truly did need our service.

Describe your startup experience in three words. 

Transformative. Service-Oriented. Customized.

What resources at the university did you take advantage of and how did they help you on your entrepreneurial journey? 

GalXc Accelerator, Big Idea Competition, Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship These are some of the many resources that transformed my business into one that is now backed up by over $20K in funding, and one that has given me access to a wide variety of mentors that have changed the trajectory of my company.

What insight would you give to a student trying to launch a startup while in college? 

Never stop believing in what you’re doing, even if the world is telling you to stop. If you have an idea that you think has potential, take the advice of those who you believe are qualified to give advice and move forward with conviction and confidence.

What advice do you have for students about using their time, relationships, and opportunities at UTD to prepare for this kind of journey? 

Although many describe the entrepreneur journey as lonely, I don’t believe it has to be. I would recommend that students use the concept of blend rather than balance. Blend your entrepreneur life with those around you and incorporate your success and failures into your conversations with others- you never know what they might say that’ll encourage you to pivot or think of a new idea.

Has anyone in the UTD network been important to your journey? Why? 

Dresden Goldberg, Sarah Crowe, Paul Nichols, and Bryan Chambers. These individuals led me to resources, supported my efforts so diligently, and helped me believe in myself at a deeper level. These UTD professors/staff members/faculty have truly inspired me to pursue my business to its greatest success point.

What advice do you have for students who want to pursue a venture in your industry? 

Developing relationships with schools and various educational institutions is a mammoth of a project but be persistent. Ensure that everything you do is student-centric and service-oriented-I really believe that the education field values these ethics and embodying them into a company will only create an environment of trust and compassion.

What’s one thing you know now (regarding entrepreneurship) that you wish you knew in college? 

I wish I knew how many people were supporting me and how many resources I had access to. UTD has been an incubator of wonderful resources that seems quite unlimited with immense potential. Entrepreneurship doesn’t happen without the support of those around us, whether that be financially or through moral support.