Flash Sale! 25% Off Entrepreneur+

Unlock this article and get unlimited access to our entire site. Use code FLASH25 at checkout - for new subscribers only.

Claim This Offer

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

College Entrepreneurs Create Software to Help Businesses Thrive How three UPenn students created Airtime, a program that creates banners that turn e-mail signatures into branded messages.

By Jodi Helmer

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

To Dan Shipper, those few lines at the bottom of a digital message offer significant untapped potential. "Companies that aren't taking advantage of e-mail signatures to promote their products and services are missing out on opportunities to connect with their customers," he says.

The 21-year-old junior at the University of Pennsylvania began writing code when he was 10. After creating and selling several successful websites, Shipper was ready for a new project. In 2011 he partnered with Patrick Leahy and Justin Meltzer, both seniors majoring in entrepreneurship at the Wharton School at UPenn, to develop Airtime, a program that creates banners that turn e-mail signatures into branded messages.

Airtime allows brands to develop multiple banners for their e-mail signatures and track the number of impressions and click-through rates for each. After a brief beta period to test the concept, the UPenn entrepreneurs launched the company (airtimehq.com) in January 2012. Within weeks the program had attracted international clients.

The rest of this article is locked.

Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

Subscribe Now

Already have an account? Sign In