Our Story

Have you ever looked into a given task or process and thought “there must be a better way?”

As the internet bubble reached its peak in the beginning of the millennium, the exchange industry was still using the same processes they had been using for decades: paper applications, courier services, file scanning, phone calls back and forth. Managing exchange programs was a slow and expensive process and... There had to be a better way.

In fact, when our “aha” moment hit us, we had a hard time believing no one had come up with this solution. No more paper applications? No more countless hours making copies? Zero spending in courier services? This was a revolution.

So we took on the challenge. We already had more than 15 years of experience in the exchange student industry, services and, of course, IT and internet startups. This was our skills cocktail but, like any good drink, it also needed shaking and refinement! So, after presenting Zapp at the CSIET Conference in 2003, we partnered with those who mattered the most: our clients, the exchange industry professionals.

And we have come a long way. For more than 10 years, we have been listening to the industry and understanding what our clients need. And it's been quite the ride: from shifting the paradigm of local data hosting to cloud servers, implementing a visionary software-as-service (“pay as you go”), and one of the biggest challenges the industry has faced: the US Department of State compliance framework, introduced in 2005.

The new regulations were demanding and complex, and the internet standards changed faster than ever, but we delivered, like we always do: by working together with our clients, understanding what they require and developing solutions in record speed.

This is who we are. People who love the exchange industry and what it represents to millions of students and families worldwide.

Zapp is not a product. It is an ongoing collaborative experience. And we count on you to make it better.