Brad McNew

Brad McNew

Computer Science Student at the University of Michigan | Full-Stack Developer

Discuno - Mentorship Platform

Discuno - Mentorship Platform

Role: Founder & Full-Stack Developer Timeline: August 2024 - Present Website: discuno.com

Overview

Discuno is a web platform that connects prospective students with verified university mentors, helping students navigate their academic journey with personalized guidance.

Key Achievements

  • Architected and developed a full-stack mentorship platform from the ground up using Next.js deployed on Vercel
  • Led the full product lifecycle from ideation and user research to a successful beta launch
  • Acquired an initial cohort of 50+ early users through targeted campus outreach and social media campaigns
  • Designed and implemented secure payment processing with Stripe, including webhook-based communication for real-time transaction handling
  • Conducted 20+ user interviews and usability tests to gather feedback and iterate on the product

Tech Stack

  • Frontend: Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
  • Backend: Node.js, Express
  • Database: PostgreSQL
  • Payment: Stripe API with webhooks
  • Deployment: Vercel
  • Tools: Git, Figma, Postman

Impact

The platform successfully launched in beta, demonstrating strong product-market fit with early user acquisition and positive feedback from both mentors and mentees.