Big man off campus

Lolita Harper

At a time when most people his age are making last-minute trips to

Target for extra long sheets, flip-flops for the shower and other dorm

life necessities, Phil Dade, 18, is running his dream business.

Dade, who graduated from Corona del Mar High School in 2000, started

his online business, o7 APConnection.comf7 , after he came up short

searching for resources for Advanced Placement classes on the Web.

“When I was studying for the AP tests in high school, it was difficult

to find reliable information online to help me,” said Dade, who had

enough units to leave high school in the 11th grade.

The young entrepreneur, who lives in The Bluffs in Newport Beach,

started the company in 1999 with money from his grandmother that he had

saved and invested, he said, along with start-up capital from investors.

About $50,000 came from his own pocket and, despite his age, he received

nearly $250,000 from financial backers, he said. Dade admits that some of

the investors were friends or friends of friends, but more than half

needed to be convinced.

“The fact that I was 17 was never really an issue,” he explained. “I

just broke it down to a fundamental level and showed that there was a

real need for this service that could be monetized.”

Designed to be a single-source resource for both Advanced Placement

students and teachers, the Web site has practice tests and more than

13,000 pages of educational content about the 14 Advanced Placement

topics.

The college board, which runs the Advanced Placement program, must

tell teachers what to teach and the curriculum is public record, Dade

said. His company uses the information to create supplemental study tools

available to students, he said. Additional content is written by more

than 100 high school and college professors, he said.

Users of the Web site have a personalized home page that can keep

track of homework assignments, upcoming tests, e-mails and practice test

performance. Those basic services are free, Dade said.

But more specialized services, such as being able to rate individual

test scores with other users, carry fees. Dade charges $4.95 per month or

$29.95 annually. The site also offers subscriptions to school districts

for $15 per Advanced Placement student for the year.

Because Advanced Placement tests are scored on a curve, the service

helps subscribers size up their competition and figure out a probable

score.

“I could be pulling out my hair because I only scored 65% on a

practice biology exam, but when compared to the rest of the test takers

my score could be relatively high,” Dade said.

Teachers can also log on and compare their student’s results to

determine the areas that need further review.

The company’s busiest time of the year is May, when students are

cramming for their Advanced Placement tests, usually given in June. But

Dade’s customers also use the site for more routine functions, such as

help with their homework and final exams, he said.

Two years after launching the site, Dade said he is turning a

profit.o7 APConnection.comf7 has five full-time and 29 part-time

employees, he said. Dade is excited for the future.

“Last year, it was a work in progress,” Dade said. “Now that it can

sustain itself, we are going to do very aggressive marketing and try to

get it into more school systems.”

When he’s not crunching numbers, Dade likes to golf and hang out with

friends like other 18-year-olds. He takes “a few courses here and there”

at USC, he said. But his company takes up most of his time, and he works

an average of 50 hours per week, he said.

“I could be up at SC having a great time like other people my age, but

this is my passion,” he said. “If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it.”

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .