SendBobToBerkeley.com - A quest to raise $150,000 in 30 days to Send BerkeleyBob to UC Berkeley

I have won a scholarship from another organization to go to University College London, UK. I am ceasing all sales of Virtual Real Estate, advertising spots, sponsored posts, links and merchandises on this website. Thank you everyone for your support.

FAQ

1. What is SendBobToBerkeley.com?
2. Who am I?
3. Are you real?
4. Why sell virtual real estate?
5. Why fundraise $150,000 in 30 days?
6. Is this an appeal fund?
7. How did the idea came about?
8. Why should anyone buy virtual real estate on SendBobToBerkeley?
9. What will happen to the money if I am not successful in going to UC Berkeley?
10. How long will SendBobToBerkeley.com stay 'Live'?

1. What is SendBobToBerkeley.com?
SendBobToBerkeley is an internet project to fundraise $150,000 in 30 days to send Bobby to University of California, Berkeley for undergraduate studies.

The idea of SendBobToBerkeley is to sell novelty advertising space through the sales of virtual real estate linking to Advertisers' website. Advertisers seeking links to boost traffic to their sites should consider investing in one of the properties found here.

2. Who am I?
I am Bobby, a 20-year-old guy from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I spent the last 2 years studying in Singapore under the ASEAN Scholarship. I almost won the Khazanah Nasional scholarship to go to UC Berkeley. I blundered my last interview in the 4th round and missed that opportunity.

I would not give up hope on Berkeley because I am attracted by Silicon Valley and would want to start a tech company upon graduation and bring it back to this region. Khazanah has pretty liberal bond policy that would have allowed me to defer serving my bond till later.

I am doing this project because I believe that one should chase one's dream and not give up hope.

DISCLOSURE: I was informed after I launched this website that I had won a scholarship to go to London but I would still prefer to go to Berkeley, so do not buy property from this website out of sympathy. I am grateful for the scholarship, but I am here to chase my dream. If you pity me and would like to do some charity, I'm sorry to say this is not the place for it.

3. Are you real?
Yes, I am genuine. This is my offer letter from UC Berkeley. I plan to read Economics there. The beauty of an education in the US is I am free to explore courses and decide my major only at the end of my first year. Thus I may decide to major in Computer Science or Mathematics instead of Economics if my interest change.

4. Why sell virtual real estate?
Contextual advertising is pretty mundane on the Internet. I think it will be cool to sell online advertising in the form of virtual real estate. Imagine how cool it is to own an office tower or bungalow house, customize it to your liking, and having it link back to your site.

5. Why fundraise $150,000 in 30 days?
It took me less than a week to launch this website the moment I found out I was unsuccessful in the Khazanah scholarship. I am pretty short on time as I would have to fly to the US on the August 15 if I were to go there hence the 30 days time frame.

As an international student, I am not eligible for any financial aid in UC Berkeley. An average year in UC Berkeley will cost close to $50,000. A 4 years undergraduate course in UC Berkeley will thus cost almost $200,000. I would be able to obtain a $50,000 loan from my Dad.

6. Is this an appeal fund?
No, this is not an appeal fund. I am not soliciting donations from the public. I am doing this to pursue a dream of going to the US to start something in the Silicon Valley. This whole website is a venture in the online advertising industry to sell advertising space to interested advertisers.

7. How did the idea came about?
I have had the idea of selling virtual real estate for more than 3 years. I just simply did not have the time or reason to execute this idea.

8. Why should anyone buy virtual real estate on SendBobToBerkeley?
If you have a website that needs traffic, then you should consider buying (or rather invest) in a property on SendBobToBerkeley. Properties are limited and they may be customized to attract potential customers to your website.

9. What will happen to the money if I am not successful in going to UC Berkeley?
The money will be used as a microfund for start-ups, social entrepreneurship and/or charity.

10. How long will SendBobToBerkeley.com stay 'Live'?
This site will stay online for as long as possible. I would like to show this website to my grandchildren, so you get the idea how long this site will be up online.