Max recently produced a job listings app called Jobalo Jobs, which launched in November 2016. The app is geared toward helping high school and college students find jobs. It’s run by a development team hired by Alway-Townsend that includes an overseas coder who handles programming.
The idea behind Jobalo came from Alway-Townsend’s struggle to find a job at age 15. He had looked for work in his neighborhood to earn money. He wished there was a website so he could check local listings instead of putting himself out there.
The app features one-day “contract jobs,” which are more accessible to students and have quick rewards. The app is currently in its second round of fundraising with a goal of $40,000. The proceeds will support operating costs for the summer and part of the fall.
“This is actually my third startup,” Alway-Townsend said. “The first one was in eighth grade and the second one was in 10th grade. They were both pretty small-scale, but they taught me just so much stuff about entrepreneurship, about being a leader and e-commerce.”
He said he always wanted to be his own boss, even from a young age.
“Before I was 16, really, I couldn’t get a job anywhere. So, I kind of decided I want money, and there’s really only one way to get it — just go out and make something of my own.”
Max began his entrepreneurial endeavors in eighth grade with his first startup — buying and reselling new and gently used brand name sneakers, such as Jordans.
His second venture was a dental subscription service that he started with a partner in the tenth grade. Customers would pay to have their toothpaste, toothbrush and other dental supplies come in a mailed package every three to five months depending on their preferences.
