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The journey behind Volley Solutions, a groundbreaking decision-making platform, is one of innovation, adaptability, and a profound commitment to helping others. Developed by a seasoned entrepreneur with a history of successful ventures, Volley Solutions is designed to guide students through life's toughest choices, from selecting a college to evaluating job offers. These collaborative tools leverage decision science, an often confusing field, to provide clarity, confidence, and actionable insights for its users.

The story of Volley starts with , a tech entrepreneur with deep roots in Colorado and a passion for using technology to impact lives meaningfully. His career has spanned high-tech startups, including an IoT company sold to Amazon and others in fields like Fin tech and HR tech. Along with being an instructor in the Organizational Leadership & Information Analytics (OLIA) department at the Leeds School of Business at the ���񱦵�, after years of scaling and selling businesses, he shifted focus to creating tools that empower individuals, particularly students, to navigate critical life decisions.

The Birth of Volley

began with Matt’s realization that while decision science has existed for decades, its practical application remains limited to academia and other professional industries. Inspired by his own college experience at Purdue University, where he first envisioned ways to improve decision-making, Matt embarked on a mission to make decision science accessible to everyone.

“I want to impact people’s lives at scale and help them make decisions they feel confident about, decisions they won’t second-guess.”

Students are often faced with monumental decisions that shape their futures. From selecting a university to choosing a first job, these choices are compounded with uncertainty and high stakes. By targeting this audience, Matt hopes to not only ease the decision-making process, but also teach foundational skills that users could carry into other aspects of life.

Creating the Volley app involved distilling complex decision science principles into a format accessible to both students and young professionals. The team developed templates for common decisions, such as where to attend college or which job offer to accept, that guide users through defining their criteria, weighing options, and gathering input from trusted advisors.

Another key innovation was integrating journaling capabilities and sentiment analysis using voice recognition and AI. These features allow users to reflect on their choices, providing insights into their decision-making patterns over time.

Volley’s app design focuses on five major decisions students often face: buying a car, choosing housing, selecting a college, relocating to a new city, and accepting a job offer. The platform uses pre-built templates to guide users through their choices. These templates are framed positively. For

 instance, transforming "cost" into "value" to encourage thoughtful analysis.

Students can invite family, friends, and mentors to collaborate in their decision-making process, ensuring a well-rounded perspective. The tools also allow users to record their thoughts, either through text or voice input, which the app then analyzes to provide further insights. This feature helps users decide better by conducting “premortems” and “red teaming”.

Empowering Students

, Matt’s daughter and a recent CU graduate, brings a unique perspective to Volley. Having graduated in May and immediately transitioned into a master’s program, Alex understands the pressures and uncertainties students face during such transitional periods. "Things happen right away and kind of sneak up on you," she shares, emphasizing how crucial it is to make well-informed decisions that benefit both your mental well-being and future.

As someone who has used Volley during its development, Alex highlights its potential to support students in ways that traditional resources often do not. While she notes that her path of pursuing further education immediately after graduation is somewhat straightforward, she sees great value in how the platform could assist peers navigating decisions like where to live or how to transition into post-graduate life. "Figuring out where to live is such an underrated decision," she says, pointing out that many students struggle with what seems like a simple choice to an outsider.

Alex praises Volley’s ability to act as a “secondary coach” for everyday decisions, complementing resources like career services, which focus primarily on internships and jobs. Tools like Volley fill this gap by helping students weigh practical considerations, reduce anxiety, and feel confident in their choices.

Adapting Decision Science for Real-World Impact

The core of Volley Solutions lies in its innovative application of decision science. Using methodologies similar to conjoint analysis, commonly used in consumer goods and automotive industries, the app helps users weigh options and prioritize criteria effectively. Whether evaluating college programs or job offers, Volley’s process turns subjective preferences into data-driven decisions.

The app also incorporates sentiment analysis via natural language processing (NLP), enabling users to reflect on past decisions and adjust their approach for the future. For instance, a student might use Volley to revisit an internship experience, identifying what worked well and what to seek in their next role.

Perhaps most impressive is the platform’s accessibility. Volley Solutions will be free for students, due to Matt's commitment to making impactful tools available to all. By offering the app without paywalls or ads, the team aims to gather feedback to continuously improve user experience.

A Bright Future Ahead

As Volley continues to evolve, its mission remains clear: to empower students with tools and techniques that improve their lives. Whether it’s helping first-generation students navigate uncharted waters or guiding recent graduates toward fulfilling career paths, Volley stands out as a resource for anyone seeking clarity in an often-chaotic world. With a focus on thoughtful decision-making and a dedication to accessibility, Volley Solutions is poised to redefine how students and professionals approach life’s most important choices.