We've got big news!

The parent company of MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE and its sister portals MBAGRADSCHOOLS | MASTERGRADSCHOOLS, MasterTube B.V. has secured investment from various investors based in the Netherlands.

This latest investment marks an exciting new phase of growth for the start-up, including the acceleration of staffing activities and expanding upon existing products and services.

Watch the full interview with our founder, Rick Rudolph here.

Filling the gap: Stories are the new currency in higher education

Born and raised in South Africa and currently living in The Netherlands, Rick Rudolph is the Founder of MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE and its sister portals, MBAGRADSCHOOLS | MASTERGRADSCHOOLS.

After spending over a decade working in marketing & recruitment in the higher education industry, Rick began to notice how the rise of social media led to more advanced marketing techniques. As someone who didn’t have the opportunity to visit campuses when he was a prospective student, Rick decided to create a product that he wishes he had all those years ago.

In 2014, Rick founded MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE: free, easy-to-use, video platforms that provide prospective students with access to official MBA and master videos from leading universities and business schools around the world. Using the power of video marketing, Rick created a cutting-edge product in higher education, years ahead of the competition.

Traditionally, students connected with higher education institutions via education fairs and other physical events. “We traveled all over the world. It was very labor-intensive,” Rick recalls. “You would travel and hop from one airport to the next to meet with candidates, standard fairs, [and] visit local partners and media agencies to really promote your school and your brand. Well, times have changed.” (03:18)

“My mission was really to make sure that students were not only able to compare data - rankings, tuition, exit salaries, placement, statistics, etc. That information can easily be compared [in] an Excel sheet. What I wanted you to understand as a prospective student was that every learning experience is different, and I really truly believe that video is one of those powerful mediums that just speaks louder,” Rick adds. “Visually demonstrating that helps students understand the differences and helps them make a better and informed decision.” (05:31)

In explaining the philosophy behind MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE, Rick says, “There's an MBA program for everyone. It's a very saturated market, but every MBA program really offers something very distinct. There's a different culture. There's a different learning method. There's a different approach. And, of course, there's a wonderful network that you buy into as well. So, I made it my life mission to help people understand that there's an education program for everyone and that a certain top-ranked school is not necessarily the right fit for you.” (01:08)

The product: Creating a smarter YouTube

When Rick was a prospective MBA student, he only had traditional media available to him, such as program brochures or websites. “When I was a student looking for an opportunity to study abroad, in South Africa, there were very few opportunities for me to really discover and understand the product offering around the globe,” he explains. (02:23)

By showcasing schools’ videos on MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE, Rick is tapping into a specific type of user behavior –?and he’s certainly onto something. Cisco estimates that video will account for 82% of internet traffic globally by 2022, up from 75% in 2017.

In the process of developing the video portals, Rick decided to build the “YouTube for graduate education” –?with a few improvements.

“When we launched MBATUBE and MASTERTUBE in 2014, of course, many schools had video. Video wasn’t new necessarily,” he says. “But, what was different was how universities were able to capture information [of] the viewers. What was different was the different types of videos and formats that were out there and the way that those videos could be compared. But also, YouTube was too big. If you were looking for a Master in Management [or] an MBA in FinTech, you will find videos, but you will also find a video of Mariah Carey and a puppy and a bungee jumper in between. So, the smart recommendation element was missing for me. So, I wanted to consolidate all of these business schools’ videos in one place. We wanted to make sure that schools don't use this platform the same way as they did with a YouTube channel.” (06:34)

Quality over quantity also takes center stage on MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE. The platform limits the number of videos an institution can upload to only 30, sending a clear message to schools – and students – that MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE offers only the best videos to bring value to its audience.

The impact: Elevating the way stories are told in higher education

Before creating the product, Rick got buy-in from several higher education institutions in the hopes that the rest of the industry would catch on. “Credibility was my main priority,” he says. “I enlisted the help of industry professionals and colleagues [and] friends to engage with me and help me build that credibility within the industry. So, INSEAD, Cambridge, [and] Oxford were there from day one, and of course, in our industry, it really helps having their names affiliated to your platform. So, having had the opportunity to showcase their wonderful content also had a trickle-down effect on the industry.” (11:06)

Today, around 400 institutions share their content on MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE.

Since its launch in 2014, Rick has seen a tremendous shift in the way schools utilize video in their marketing and recruitment efforts. He says, “I've seen the way that video is being used and how they utilize video to effectively communicate who they are, what they stand for, [and] what their brand promise is, and of course, ultimately, what you buy into.” (11:43)

Rick is a pioneer in the higher education industry, pushing schools to tell more powerful stories through video. In the beginning, he visited schools alone, with one camera and a handheld microphone, like a reporter on campus.

Today, Rick has a full-fledged production company, working with a team of videographers to produce over 250 videos a year for different institutions around the world.

Expanding the product portfolio: Launching sister sites

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rick launched MBAGRADSCHOOLS | MASTERGRADSCHOOLS, sister sites to the video portals that consist of four different elements: a school search function, an editorial section, peer-to-peer recruitment, and a section where you can sign up for upcoming events.

“This really answers the need for schools to play both the Google and the YouTube game. We combine these two biggest search engines by not only creating the video, but also writing an article based on the video that we created,” Rick explains. “For us, using that source, that video source, builds credibility for the content that we write as well. So, we don't only just write for SEO. We use the videos to demonstrate the source, that we went after the content and deliver you as a prospective student real content, authentic content.” (13:00)

Both MBATUBE | MASTERTUBE and MBAGRADSCHOOLS | MASTERGRADSCHOOLS have a dedicated audience that will only continue to grow. In some cases, the platform generates more unique video views than the school’s own YouTube channels.?

In short, as Rick puts it, “Our signature is video. Video is ingrained in everything that we do because we truly believe in this medium.” (10:44)

What’s next?

With this new investment – based on doubling revenues in the last two years – the company is entering a new phase of growth, which includes the acceleration of staffing activities. “We're very excited about this next phase,” Rick concludes. “We secured an investment round and, of course, that means a lot of things for the organization - new staff, new products, a lot of paid search. We're very excited. So, we'll continue to serve the industry. We’ll continue to serve our clients. We listen very carefully to the needs. We adapt to the times. We have a very unique corporate culture. So, we will continue to pave the way and do our best and do it in our way.” (16:31)