In a remarkable achievement, two Computer Science graduate students at UCLA, Arek Der-Sarkissian and Ethan Keshishian, have announced that their startup newsletter, Unicorner, has reached a readership of 10,000.
This milestone is a testament to the duo’s dedication, innovation, and the value they bring to the startup community. Both Arek and Ethan share an illustrious journey at UCLA, are recent UCLA graduates with Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and are currently pursuing their MS in the same field. Their combined expertise ranges from technical skills in software to a shared passion for startups and innovation.
Arek and Ethan first began working on Unicorner in 2020. At the time, they were first-year computer science students and roommates.
When asked how this journey started, Ethan said, “During the summer of 2020, we made it our goal to read a VC or founder essay every day. By the end of the summer, we had read and taken notes on almost a hundred essays….But we also recognized how difficult it was for people like us to find quality, easily digestible resources online in the startup world. In an ocean of long-form analyses, TechCrunch articles, and investor memos, we (and many others) were craving a two-minute solution. On top of that, we wanted to learn from real-life examples.”
At that point, they realized this information and their notes could help others like them. “We felt like we had learned a lot, but lacked those zero-to-one examples: early-stage startups that were redefining their industries in real-time…” Arek said. “We wanted to share concise yet quality resources online with people interested in entrepreneurship. Thus, the mission for Unicorner was born, and we’ve put out an issue every Monday for the past two and a half years.”
The newsletter aims to simplify the startup landscape by offering two-minute rundowns of emerging early-stage startups every Monday. Boasting nearly 150 covers on promising companies, Unicorner has now become a beacon for thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide.
Unicorner stands out for its concise and beautifully crafted newsletters. They condense all the essential information about a startup into a brief, two-minute read. The platform covers a diverse range of companies, ensuring readers get insights into the future of various industries. Their mission is clear: to help readers discover the most innovative and moonshot startups. The newsletter is industry-agnostic, ensuring a broad spectrum of knowledge for its readers. More details about their offerings can be found on their homepage.
This achievement is not just a personal victory for Arek and Ethan but also a representation of UCLA’s budding entrepreneurial culture. Unicorner’s contributing team includes a number of current and previous UCLA students and has highlighted various UCLA-founded startups. It serves as an inspiration for entrepreneurs and students, showcasing what dedication, collaboration, and innovation can achieve.
Congratulations to Arek, Ethan, and the entire Unicorner team on this significant milestone! We look forward to seeing more groundbreaking achievements from this dynamic duo in the future.