Beyond the Classroom: UIndy Business Students Launch Rateo, a New App for Business Feedback

Jared Schweitzer & Keegan Jones (not pictured: Drew McClure)

Keegan Jones ’25 ’26 (Business Administration & Management, MBA) spent the first two years of his college journey with his nose to the grindstone, juggling a part-time job while staying focused on his studies. But everything changed when he started working on an idea for an app. He knew that to turn his vision into a viable product, he would have to step out of his comfort zone.

That vision became Rateo, a SaaS (software-as-a-service) built to help businesses collect and utilize customer feedback through a user-friendly, data-driven platform. With the support of the University of Indianapolis School of Business, Jones found both the confidence and collaborators to turn his vision into a reality.

Jones first turned to the resources offered by UIndy’s School of Business, which emphasizes experiential learning in every program. As his concentration is in entrepreneurship, Jones first approached the Entrepreneurship Club. It was there that he connected with Club President, Drew McClure ’26 ’27 (Finance, MBA), and Club Vice President, Jared Schweitzer ’26 ’27 (Finance, MBA).

While Jones has served as the company’s visionary, all three students have brought their own strengths, areas of expertise, and connections to the table. McClure and Schweitzer have played pivotal roles in getting the app off the ground and expanding its client base.

“My job will be to analyze and make sense of the data by creating visualizations,” explained Schweitzer. “These will be used to show how Rateo has affected businesses and aid in the development and usage of Rateo.”

“I specialize in the go-to-market and sales side of Rateo, finding businesses to run pilot programs,” explained McClure. “My specialty is turning the pilot program into a contract to generate revenue.”

Over the past year,  the team has focused on identifying businesses that would most benefit from using Rateo and then planning how best to approach those businesses with a pitch. They then sought advice from their School of Business faculty, including Carissa Newton, assistant professor of practice in marketing, who helped them hone their pitch. The advice not only helped position Rateo to put its best foot forward but also reaffirmed Jones’s confidence in the product.

“Professor Newton really helped me finalize the idea and pinpoint what made the product valuable,” Jones said. “Before, it was just me in my head thinking, ‘This is a great idea.’ But she helped validate it—like, okay, this works in the real world. People will actually want this.”

With this newfound confidence and additional guidance on contracts from Assistant Professor of Practice Eric Harvey, the trio officially established Rateo LLC.

Today, five Indianapolis-area businesses—including Quest Dining at the University of Indianapolis—are using Rateo and its services. 

Now that Rateo is up and running, the team is focused on deepening their data analysis and expanding their client base.

“The next step is taking our data and expanding upon it,” Jones said. “The more proof we build, the better we can pitch, and then it all goes up from there.”

But even as they work to grow the company, each team member is taking stock of what they’ve learned.

“There is a lot that goes into starting a business, and it requires large amounts of time, trial, and attention to detail. There are no shortcuts,” said Schweitzer.

“This experience is teaching me patience and how to collaborate in a professional setting with others,” said McClure. “We’re creating a business from the ground up. There’s no easy fee, and we’re learning together—whether it’s contracts, negotiations, operating agreements, or working with external companies for a B2B approach.”

Jones added that one of his biggest lessons has been learning how to handle rejection.

“How to take rejection—getting hung up on during a cold call, or pushing someone to see the value in your idea and getting the phone slammed on you,” he said. “I’ve learned not to let that influence me.”

Persistence and the willingness to learn through doing have propelled the team and Rateo forward. Thanks to the support of UIndy’s School of Business, these student entrepreneurs aren’t just dreaming up ideas in the classroom. They’re building real solutions, forming real partnerships, and gaining real-world experience—one pitch at a time.

You can learn more about Rateo at https://www.rateo-app.com/.