Following the completion of my master’s degree, I founded a tech startup called StudyFlats. Within 3 years, I scaled this PropTech company to over 30 UK cities, with a client base in over 50 countries. 

As a solo non-technical founder, the idea for StudyFlats seemed far-fetched at first. My business idea was first put to the test when I spoke to Newcastle University. I was an international student in the UK on a visa and therefore had to obtain the correct visa. 

I pitched the idea to Newcastle University and managed to receive an endorsement for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa scheme. This was the former equivalent of the former Startup Visa in the UK. 

The first year 

The first year was one of the most difficult years of my life.

I was a 22-year-old graduate, with a laptop and £500 in my bank account. Not to mention that I had no coding knowledge/background and thus could not create the website myself. 

I was getting quotes upwards of £10,000 from agencies to create StudyFlats’ website. Needless to say, these were not an option and I was stuck. 

At the same time, a very dear friend of mine from University, introduced me to a developer who agreed to complete the backend functionalities, whilst I learnt the other parts, especially SEO as I knew I’d heavily rely on it. 

In the meantime, I was proofreading students’s assignments and dissertations to fund the business and my daily expenses (living in a single room with shared toilets that year was no fun at all). 

The lesson that I learnt was: where there’s a will there’s a way. I had no option but to grow this company despite all the hurdles. 

The second & third years year 

In the second and third years, things began to improve. 

By the second year, StudyFlats operated in 10 cities. However, this is also when a major competitor began scaling with £70m of funding!

It is also worth noting that StudyFlats worked with contractors/freelancers during the second year. Hence, there was no “team” at this point and I essentially did everything that was needed. 

However, I adopted 2 strategies that gained a unique competitive advantage for StudyFlats, which was integral to its growth. These were:

  • Inbound SEO. I focused on topics that our audience was interested in, that did not necessarily relate to student accommodation/housing.
  • Introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) Tours of properties on our platform. StudyFlats was the first in the market to do so when even websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla did not have such functionality. It was not magic science, but simply being the first to do so enabled me to secure additional contracts with PBSAs/ accommodation providers. 

By the end of 2019, we were a team of five, operated across 30+ UK cities, consulted 1000+ students from 50+ countries, and had investors approaching us themselves. 

March 2020: goodbye

And this is where the brutal reality hits: you can do everything right and things can still go south. 

With the events of 2020, I was reluctant to maintain the company’s operations for that period as it seemed extremely unpredictable and possibly a recipe for liability. 

Additionally, we needed cash to maintain the company’s operations, yet this was simply not possible as we paused our operations.

By 2021, I considered relaunching the company’s operations. However, after considering several factors including the desire to do what I do now as a consultant, I made the very difficult decision that every founder resents. However, I see StudyFlats as a learning experience, the driver of my settlement in the UK and an opportunity that was missed due to factors outside my control. We live and learn, it is what it is. 

Starting and scaling a (tech) startup is not for the faint-hearted. It involves pain, uncertainty, disappointment, rejection and loneliness. But in the end, it can all be worth it, as it was in my case. 

About | My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats. I now help other migrant entrepreneurs, such as myself, with their businesses, and mainly with obtaining endorsements from the endorsing bodies.