About Us
Our Story
An idea ahead of its time. A belief that never went away. A new chapter for students everywhere.
2012 — It started with Scolaris
In 2012, we launched Scolaris: a novel crowdfunding platform with a simple purpose — help students create their own academic scholarships. We believed that a student's ambition deserved a community willing to back it, and that educational support could come from more than traditional scholarship applications.
Sept 2012
The original Scolaris logo
2012
Scolaris beta homepage
2012
Our mascot, in person
The idea found its audience
Scolaris was featured in nearly a dozen articles and media outlets. We received an offer to run a pilot at a major Canadian university, along with angel investment offers. Those early conversations showed us that people believed in the idea, too.
But belief alone was not enough. The technology and the team were not ready to deliver what the vision demanded. We made the difficult decision to close up shop.
July 5, 2012
ITBusiness.ca
“Toronto startup Scolaris.ca has just launched a beta version of its site that lets students crowdfund to help pay for their college or university education.”
July 25, 2012
Scolaris Deters Student Debt Through Innovative Crowdfunding
“A small donation × a lot of people = a Scolariship!”
July 26, 2012
KillerStartups
“It's Canada's first crowdfunded scholarship platform where students can create profiles for themselves, share and raise money for school.”
We closed the platform, not the possibility
The founders never let the idea die. We kept watching, learning and waiting for technology, the market and consumer behaviour to catch up. The question stayed with us: how could we help students build a future, not just fund one?
Aug 24, 2012
MainStreet (New York)
“A handful of start-up companies are aiming to help parents and students employ crowdfunding to save for college.”
Oct 18, 2012
The Georgia Straight
“Scolaris is billed as the first "personal scholarship fundraising platform" in Canada.”
2026 — ScholarOut is born
By 2026, the opportunity had become bigger than scholarship crowdfunding. Social media had changed how young people spend their time and present themselves. Alongside its creativity and connection, endless scrolling can crowd out the motivation to build something lasting.
As founders and parents, we wanted another choice: a place where a recital, a science project, a first job, a volunteering shift or a hard-earned award becomes part of a student's growing story. That is how ScholarOut was born — a professional student profile network, starting at age 12, for students around the world.
More than a scholarship platform
Today, students can document their academic and extracurricular journey, highlight skills, share videos, connect with peers and download a CV. Scholarship campaigns currently record pledges only; payments are not enabled. Our vision remains to help communities support tuition directly at a student's school when funding launches.
We cannot promise admission, a job or a scholarship. What we can offer is a place to make the effort, growth and ambition behind a student's future easier to see.