Brother Nick Briere making headlines as successful entrepreneur

Duke student publication The Chronicle writes of Briere and his twin sister:

“Sophomore twins Emily and Nick Briere were singled out from their first day on campus.

“In Fall 2011, the Brieres were mentioned in the freshmen convocation as the twins from Connecticut whose parents, both Duke alumni, instilled such a love for the University in them that they both applied early decision. The twins were also recognized for founding three startup companies while they were still in high school.

“The Brieres have put their high school startups on hold while they attend Duke, as they want to explore other interests and have a traditional college experience, Nick said. But he still records voiceovers and creates videos for one of those companies, Cut-Out Kids, to help pay tuition. Through Cut-Out Kids, the Brieres create simple whiteboard animation videos to illustrate difficult concepts for businesses. The Brieres started another business, MoxMe!, as a collaborative social network for schools after they noticed the communication problems their school had connecting students, teachers, administrators and parents. The network was rolled out in a pilot project for the Brieres’ Mansfield, Conn. school district and saved the district so much money in postage that they could hire a new teacher, Superintendent Bruce Silva said in a testimonial on the MoxMe! website. A third business, Certamen.com, focused on creating online academic competitions among schools.

“The Brieres’ success has continued at Duke, although they have taken markedly different paths. Nick is an English major who is also pursuing a certificate in politics, philosophy and economics, while Emily is a mechanical engineering major and mathematics minor who plans to earn a certificate in aerospace engineering…

“‘I’ll definitely end up with my hand in the startup world,’ he said.

“He is a shareholder in Campus Enterprises, where he is currently working on a new educational venture, and this summer, he will work at a startup accelerator at the University of Connecticut. Nick is also an avid guitarist, having played for more than eight years, and he additionally volunteers at a retirement home off East Campus by playing the piano for residents.

“Although the twins are pursuing diverging interests compared to their time in high school, they try catch up on their busy lives by having lunch once a week.”

Read the entire original article as published by The Chronicle: http://go.ato.org/XWJwJa