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Northwestern University

Simplifying the International Student Housing Process

mpd² students used their capstone experience to create Tenny, a dual-purpose co-pilot that assists students and leasing agents.

Oct 21, 2024

Richa Rai (mpd² '24) has a background in ethnographic research that is pivotal to consumer insight.

What she lacked was experience using that insight to create a product to benefit the consumer. That is why she looked forward to her capstone project in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd²) program, where students design a product or service that addresses a customer's need.

Richa Rai"I was anticipating being part of the journey where consumer insight goes through creation and iteration," Rai said. "I was really looking forward to the non-research part — how to do prototyping, build a business model,and incorporate technology."

Rai, Anna Memphis (mpd² '24), and Shreyash Gattu (mpd² '24) created Tenny, a dual-purpose co-pilot that simplifies the leasing process for both international students and leasing agents. Tenny serves as a comprehensive resource, making property rentals more accessible for students before they arrive in the United States by offering virtual tours and move-in assistance. Tenny benefits leasing agents and property management firms by integrating into their customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, allowing them to boost productivity and streamline communication with international students.

The team pivoted its focus throughout the project — a common reality for most capstone projects. The team knew it wanted to focus on challenges faced by international students. Rai's research background, along with research methodologies learned earlier in the program, were crucial in helping the team hone in on its final product.

"We applied several lessons from the classroom, particularly in areas like user-centered design, product management, and digital marketing strategies," Rai said. "These were crucial in developing Tenny and ensuring that it met both user needs and market demands."

Tenny features a variety of useful tools for international students and leasing agents, including:

"They did a really nice job of identifying needs on both sides of the market," capstone co-instructor Mike Edmonds said. "They created an experience where the more international students who use it and share what they're looking for, all that data and information gets fed to leasing agents so they can better serve that side of the market. The more they serve that side of the market, then the more demand, and the more international students will use the product."

As the team members refined Tenny, they realized monetization would be a significant challenge. International students would only need the service for a specific period, posing a challenge for recurring revenue. To offset this, the team repositioned Tenny as a comprehensive relocation expert. While international students moving to university towns would be the starting market, the hope would be to expand the platform's target groups to individuals relocating within the US, expats, and employees relocating for work.

The team also proposed a subscription service business model. Students would pay $20 per month to use the service, while realtors could pay $150 per month for the co-pilot that would handle lead qualifications and integrate with their CRM.

Looking back on the experience, Rai said she got everything she hoped for out of the capstone experience.

"Our journey with Tenny taught us that solving an immediate problem is just the first step," she said. "Our ultimate goal was to position ourselves as relocation experts. The experience has prepared us to take on broader challenges in the relocation industry, using technology and a customer-centric approach to create lasting value." 

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