For all who dare to go off the beaten track, this is the
inspirational, power-packed playbook for transforming your life and your
world--from a young, Black social entrepreneur whose dorm-room tech
startup, Scholly, has helped millions pay for college and access
unprecedented opportunity.
Christopher Gray grew up in deep poverty in Birmingham, Alabama. An
academic star, he had every qualification for attending a top
college--except for the financial means. Desperate, Gray headed off the
beaten path, applying for every scholarship he could find. His hustle
resulted in awards of 1.3 million dollars and inspired him to create a
startup called Scholly, an app that matches college applicants with
millions of dollars in scholarships that often go unclaimed.
As a senior at Drexel University, Gray appeared on Shark Tank and, in
the most heated fight in the show's history, was challenged on whether
his app was a charity or a profitable business. Both, he insisted,
proposing a new paradigm for social entrepreneurship and netting deals
from Lori Greiner and Daymond John.
At the time Scholly had 90,000 users. Today the app has 4 million
subscribers who have won scholarships totaling more than $100 million.
Meanwhile, Gray has emerged as a tech startup superhero now tackling the
crisis of student debt with innovative, unrivaled strategies.
Gray's story is proof that when you create opportunities for others, you
enrich the marketplace for yourself too. He shows us, we can carve out
new paths to better days and leave trails for others.
