What began as a response to a common challenge for Alfred University students has developed into UniConnect, a student-focused platform designed to make it easier to buy and sell items and coordinate rides with other students.
Alfred University students Mariam Swedan (left) and Vinci Armas at the spring 2026 Saxon Tank competition, where the pair won first place for their business idea, UniConnect.
UniConnect was created by Alfred University students Vinci Armas and Mariam Swedan. Armas is a junior finance and accounting major with a minor in psychology, while Swedan, a sophomore, majors finance and political science.
The idea originally came from Swedan’s experience as an international student without a car. Getting to stores or other places off campus could sometimes be difficult, and she saw an opportunity to create a better way for students to connect with one another for rides. The founders later found additional evidence that the need extended beyond their own experience. A campus survey showed interest in a student ridesharing platform, while posts on Yik Yak frequently included students asking for rides or help trying to sell items.
“That gave us more market validation that students would appreciate having an app like this to connect with one another,” Armas said.
Uniconnect was the winning entry in the spring 2026 Saxon Tank, a competition in which Alfred students pitch their business proposals to a panel of judges. Since the idea was first presented at Saxon Tank, UniConnect has changed considerably. The platform went through several versions of its design, payment model and features as Armas and Swedan continued gathering feedback.
What started as a locally hosted website eventually gained its own domain, and the founders continued developing the platform into an app over the summer.
UniConnect now includes a marketplace where students can buy and sell items, as well as a carpooling feature designed to help students coordinate rides with one another. The platform also uses Alfred University’s single sign-on system to help verify student users.
Armas said faculty members, mentors and other members of the Alfred community played an important role in helping the project develop.
The founders received guidance on topics ranging from business models and taxes to legal considerations, software development and feature design. Armas specifically credited Tom George, director of network services and information infrastructure in Alfred University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) for helping integrate Alfred’s SSO system; Luis Rodriguez, associate professor of law and taxation, for providing access to CCH for tax research; and Jason Morrison, associate professor of finance, for serving as a mentor throughout the process.
“Without them, none of this would have been possible,” Armas said. “We are extremely grateful to have such amazing connections and resources at Alfred.”
In the short term, Armas and Swedan hope to see UniConnect adopted by students across Alfred University and to continue improving the platform based on their feedback. They are also interested in expanding to Alfred State, potentially creating a shared service that could connect students from both campuses. Long term, the founders see a larger opportunity. They hope UniConnect can eventually expand to other rural college campuses facing similar challenges with transportation, student commerce and campus connectivity.
For Armas and Swedan, the project has already come a long way from the original idea presented at Saxon Tank. Their next goal is turning that idea into a service students regularly use as part of campus life.
Story by Andrii Maltsev ’27
