{"id":73059,"date":"2026-06-18T08:54:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=73059"},"modified":"2026-06-18T08:56:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:56:46","slug":"hodge-startups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/hodge-startups\/","title":{"rendered":"What Undergrad Social Life Taught Me about Founding Companies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">I majored in computer science\u2014but things I learned outside the classroom inspired my bestseller, <em>Outrageous Startup Growth<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4f66d45612aaf80d2d77724f720f26a9\"><em>\u201cChime In\u201d comprises brief first-person essays by Cornellians. Do you have a topic in mind? Email us at <a href=\"&#x6d;&#97;i&#108;&#x74;&#x6f;:&#99;&#x6f;&#114;&#110;&#101;&#108;&#x6c;&#105;&#97;&#x6e;&#115;&#x40;&#x63;&#111;&#x72;&#x6e;&#x65;&#108;&#108;&#46;&#101;&#100;&#x75;\">&#x63;&#111;&#114;&#x6e;e&#x6c;&#x6c;i&#x61;&#110;&#x73;&#64;c&#111;&#x72;&#110;&#x65;&#x6c;l&#46;&#x65;d&#x75;<\/a>! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Colin Hodge \u201907<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Nearly every semester at Cornell, I tried to nab a spot in the intro psychology course. You may remember the routine: wake up at some ungodly hour, frantically refresh the course scheduling site, selecting your pre-planned schedule with fingers crossed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But every semester, to my chagrin, Psych 101 was filled before I could get in. I only took one writing course, a creative writing elective I mostly chose simply because it fit in my schedule. This is, admittedly, an ironic origin story for someone who later wrote a surprise national bestselling book on behavioral science.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Colin Hodge\" class=\"wp-image-73055 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/author-photo-50_-copy-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I moved into Cornell\u2019s transfer dorm as a computer science major, arriving with cautious excitement and a suitcase full of imposter syndrome. Back home in Pennsylvania, I\u2019d been at the top of our class\u2014the boy genius with a knack for computers. At Cornell, the top of the class wasn\u2019t even in sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Persevering through those intensely challenging engineering courses turned out to be early training for the resilience I\u2019d desperately need later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"604\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A.jpg\" alt=\"Colin Hodge sitting with a group of friends during college\" class=\"wp-image-73057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A.jpg 604w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A-316x237.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Cornell-friends-A-100x75.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The author (second from right) with undergrad friends.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But a key part of my education wasn\u2019t listed on any syllabus\u2014it was the intertwining of my formal and informal education that led me down my particularly ridiculous career path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A campus newspaper that shall not be named is where I built storytelling muscles and attempted humor with mixed results, including my first-hand story of a bungled burglary on Eddy Street in Collegetown that ended with a SWAT team sweeping our lawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p> A key part of my education wasn\u2019t listed on any syllabus\u2014it was the intertwining of my formal and informal education that led me down my particularly ridiculous career path.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>On the soccer field, I learned to herd cats: getting people with volatile personalities and wildly different commitment levels to show up, run the same direction, and occasionally win. That\u2019s also a generous description of managing a startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most formative development was social. After a breakup with my high school girlfriend, I took crash courses in flirting, rejection, and spotting attraction by hopping around house parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What started as \u201cmonkey see, monkey do\u201d quickly became genuine curiosity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"753\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of &quot;Outrageous Startup Growth&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-73058 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A.jpg 500w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A-262x395.jpg 262w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A-332x500.jpg 332w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A-166x250.jpg 166w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/outrageous-startup-growth-A-83x125.jpg 83w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>My new friends, more diverse than anyone I\u2019d grown up with, were teaching me empathy and serving as role models as I uncovered my extroverted side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My curiosity burned bright: why we behave as we do, how we meet and choose our partners, and how to improve ourselves on both accounts. Years later, that curiosity sparked my first dating startup, Heard About You. It failed. From the wreckage came something better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That second startup began with an outrageous brand\u2014Bang With Friends\u2014and survived a lawsuit, a banning, and two acquisitions with a fire sale in between before becoming <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.downapp.com\/\">Down<\/a>, a top-10 U.S. dating app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The journey took me around the world, and with each year I leaned less on my CS degree and more on what I\u2019d learned outside the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost 20 years after Cornell\u2014and over 100 million users later on myriad products\u2014the common thread finally became visible. When I sat down to write a book, it took a friend to point out the pattern. It\u2019s why some startups go viral, while most go splat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I\u2019d learned was that user psychology wins: when my teams dove deeply into understanding the mindset of our users and engineering a better environment for their success, we found sustainable growth. When we didn\u2019t, well\u2014we didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Almost 20 years after Cornell\u2014and over 100 million users later on myriad products\u2014the common thread finally became visible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I picked up those skills of observation, empathy, and action in Ithaca, just trying to figure out what was actually going on with the people around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best opportunities aren\u2019t strictly found within our formal expertise; opportunity lies at the intersection of our expertise with our passions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those formative extracurricular experiences, combined with the foundation of computer science, led me to growing startups across dozens of countries and many millions of users. It ultimately led to my debut book, <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wiley.com\/en-us\/shop\/general-introductory-business-management\/outrageous-startup-growth-uncovering-the-secrets-of-user-psychology-to-scale-your-success-p-9781394387335\"><em>Outrageous Startup Growth<\/em><\/a><em>: <\/em><em>Uncovering the Secrets of User Psychology to Scale Your Success<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"930\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A.jpeg\" alt=\"Colin Hodge standing in a bookstore next to a table holding stacks of his book\" class=\"wp-image-73073\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A.jpeg 930w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-300x207.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-768x529.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-632x436.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-316x218.jpeg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-400x276.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-200x138.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Bookstore-A-100x69.jpeg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hodge&#8217;s book was published in April 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I never would\u2019ve guessed that my time spent befriending people outside of class would have as much of an impact as the classes themselves. But I\u2019m sure glad that they did\u2014even if I still haven\u2019t gotten into that damn psych class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/colinhodge.com\/\"><em>Colin Hodge \u201907<\/em><\/a><em> is a bestselling author, startup founder and advisor, and keynote speaker. His other experience includes serving as chief growth officer\u00a0of 17Live, the top live-streaming video company in Asia.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(All images provided.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published June 18, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I majored in computer science\u2014but things I learned outside the classroom inspired my bestseller, <em>Outrageous Startup Growth<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":73080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[639],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-73059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perspectives"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Undergrad Social Life Taught Me about Founding Companies - 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