An Austin Entrepreneur Wants to Make the Scholarship Search Less Overwhelming

Kranay Jones saw a problem in the scholarship search: having access to opportunities was not the same as knowing which ones to pursue.

Students could spend hours sorting through listings, checking eligibility and tracking deadlines before they ever began an application. Jones built Kranay Academy around the idea that a more personalized search could help them get started.

Founded in 2022, according to Jones, the Austin-based business offers scholarship matching and has expanded into application support, workshops and other student resources. Its online platform places a particular emphasis on college women.

In written responses submitted through North Atlanta Star’s Share Your Business Story form, Jones described the experiences behind the company and the challenges of building it with limited resources. The responses below have been edited for length and clarity.

How did this business begin?

Kranay Academy began from a simple observation: students have access to thousands of scholarships and opportunities, but finding the right ones is overwhelming and time-consuming. I wanted to build something that made that process easier and more personal.

The business started by helping students find scholarships that matched their individual backgrounds, education, majors, goals and eligibility instead of giving them another massive database to search through themselves.

As I worked with students, I realized the problem went beyond finding scholarships. Students also needed reminders, help with essays and applications, career resources, internships, workshops and ways to reduce the everyday cost of being a student.

I built the company from the ground up with limited resources, using partnerships, direct outreach, student organizations and community relationships to grow.

What makes your business personal to you?

I understand what it feels like to be a student trying to navigate college, scholarships, finances and career decisions all at once. I experienced firsthand how much opportunity exists for students, but also how difficult it can be to actually find and use the right resources.

Education has played a major role in my own journey, and scholarships helped make some of my educational goals possible. That made me want to create something that could give other students the same kind of access to opportunities, without requiring them to figure everything out alone.

Who is this business best for?

Kranay Academy is best for college students and young adults who want more opportunities but don’t always know where to find them. This includes students searching for scholarships, internships, career resources, writing support, student discounts and other ways to make college more affordable.

We are especially helpful for students who feel overwhelmed by the scholarship search process or don’t have the time to sort through hundreds of opportunities themselves.

Kranay Academy is also a fit for schools, nonprofits, student organizations and community groups looking for additional resources they can provide to the students they serve.

What services matter most to your customers?

Our personalized scholarship matching is at the center of Kranay Academy. Instead of students searching through hundreds of scholarships, we help identify opportunities that align with their background, education, major and eligibility.

Customers also value our scholarship reminders, writing and application support, internship opportunities, student discounts and Scholarship Strategy Workshops.

Ultimately, our customers value convenience and personalization. They want resources that are relevant to them and a simpler way to navigate opportunities without doing everything alone.

What might people not see from the outside?

We are a growing small business, so much of what we have accomplished has been built with limited resources, a small team and a lot of direct community outreach.

We are not trying to create another platform that simply gives students a list of resources and leaves them to figure everything out on their own. We want to help students actually connect with opportunities that fit them.

Most importantly, we want local residents to understand that Kranay Academy is being built with the community, not just marketed to it. We want to listen to what students and families need and partner with organizations already doing meaningful work.

What is changing or coming next?

One of our biggest milestones is our first nonprofit partnership with ConqHer, which allows us to extend our resources and reach more students through community collaboration.

We are also expanding our presence in Austin, Texas, through our Adopt-a-Highway initiative, where the Kranay Academy team and volunteers will participate in highway cleanups throughout the year.

We’re continuing to grow our Scholarship Strategy Workshops, internship and career resources, and personalized scholarship-matching services. It all connects back to one goal: building a company that supports students while making a meaningful impact in the communities we serve.

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North Atlanta Star

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