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Matt Schottland is building Brain Buffs, an adaptive SAT prep platform, with a CU alumni/student team—while wrapping up undergrad, starting a master’s, and tackling tax season at KPMG.��

Matt Schottland’s (Fin, Acct’25) love of numbers was sparked at age 12 when his dad sat him and his siblings down to explain the stock market. “I really liked it,” Schottland said, “because it taught me about the world around me and how companies work.”��Two hours later, he was the proud owner of a single share of Domino’s Pizza.

Since then, there are other numbers that have stood out to Schottland. One is the 4+1 Bachelor’s Accelerated Master’s Program—a lure for coming to Leeds (and after a disappointing freshman year elsewhere, his family’s Buff legacy was also too compelling to overlook).

That defining event when he was 12 convinced Schottland that finance would be his future focus. At Leeds, he also discovered he loves the concrete rules associated with accounting. Blending that with the often unpredictable nature of finance led him to pursue a major in both.

A few more numbers have defined his time at Leeds. He has a 3.98 GPA, he has worked at three competitive internships (Medtronic, Lockheed Martin and KPMG), and last year, he launched his own startup,��, which now includes a team of nine CU students and alumni.

Brain Buffs is an AI-driven, adaptive learning platform designed to help students improve their SAT scores through personalized test prep. To date, the company boasts that students using the platform have improved their scores by an average of 150 points.

The benefits of real-world experience

This spring is no exception to Schottland’s desire to excel. He took the semester off to fully immerse himself in the “crazy busy tax season” at his internship at KPMG.

“My mindset has really been to try as many things as I can while I’m in a position where it’s acceptable to do so." He has intentionally sought internships to explore both the finance and accounting realms, in line with his dual interests.

“My mindset has really been to try as many things as I can while I’m in a position where it’s acceptable to do so."��

Matt Schottland (Fin, Acct’25)

Now preparing to complete his senior year this fall, Schottland is especially excited about how the BAM program is structured.

“The program is run very well. … They’re really intentional in how they plan it. In my final semester of undergrad this fall, I have concurrent enrollment, with classes that apply both to my undergrad and to the grad school. That made the program compelling.”

Entrepreneurial momentum

The idea behind Brain Buffs took root in high school, but it was the entrepreneurial energy at CU that gave it momentum. Together with his brother, Logan (a 2024 CU alumnus now working as a software engineer at SpaceX), they launched the company with their team and began a yearlong development journey that resulted in partnerships with five Colorado schools and plans for expansion across the state and beyond.

As the team continues to refine their algorithm, they envision broader applications—preparing students for the ACT and many other types of learning. Despite the trend toward test-optional admissions, Schottland believes standardized tests like the SAT will remain important in states like Colorado, which still require the test to gauge proficiency levels.

Learning by doing

Even as he enters the master’s phase of his education, Schottland is doubling down on growing Brain Buffs. He sees a direct link between his coursework and the startup’s evolution—particularly experiences like the BCOR Applied Semester Experience (BASE), which he described as a critical turning point.

“You work with successful companies … You’re writing out financials, doing opportunity summaries, you’re looking at competitors … these aren’t just theoretical. It’s actually doing these things.”

A cycle of support

As Brain Buffs scales,��Schottland has tapped into a wide range of resources offered through Leeds and CU Boulder. At the time of publication, the company had applied to the New Venture Challenge and was awaiting results to see if they will qualify for the next round.

“If we went through the entire competition and didn’t win funding, I would still be happy,” he said. “It’s great connections, and you get to be part of a great community of startups. That’s amazing to be part of, and it’s great publicity for Brain Buffs.”

Brain Buffs also participated in��Startups2Students—an initiative that led to hiring four CU students—and collaborated with the��Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, a partnership Schottland said saved the company nearly $50,000 in legal fees.

“The more you get involved, the more impressive CU’s startup culture is. All these amazing people with all these smart ideas, and they’re just going for it. They’re making a real impact.”

“In Leeds and CU in general, there’s a sentiment that no idea is too crazy, and nothing is too hard to solve. It’s not ‘Can this happen?’ but rather, ‘How can we do this?’”

“There are so many resources to make you successful,” he said.��That mentality, combined with�� programs like��Peer2Peer Mentoring, has helped Schottland build meaningful relationships with fellow students and industry professionals alike.

“In Leeds and CU in general, there’s a sentiment that no idea is too crazy, and nothing is too hard to solve. It’s not ‘Can this happen?’ but rather, ‘How can we do this?’”

Matt Schottland (Fin, Acct’25)

“It’s worth it to get involved early because Leeds’ resources are well built-out programs. They’re really intentional and they pay a lot of dividends as you progress at Leeds.”

For Schottland, one major dividend has been the reward of knowing he is helping other students. “I’ve been working a lot, but it’s because I love it. It’s just so rewarding and fun for me. If I’m up at night working, I know there’s a student out there also working. The students really drive me to keep going.”

Want to get your entrepreneurial ideas off the ground? Connect with the Deming Center.��