Moving Made Easy with MatchBox- Riya Shukla’s Student Storage Solution

During her first year at Boston University, Riya Shukla (CAS’25) faced a common challenge among college students – the logistical nightmare of moving out for summer break. Amid finals, booking flights home to California, and emptying her dorm room, Riya realized there had to be a more efficient solution to this expensive and time-consuming process.

Inspired by Airbnb and Uber’s crowdsourcing models, Riya developed MatchBox, a platform that connects students seeking storage space with peers who have available space in their apartments, basements, or garages. The concept is simple: create affordable storage options for students, while generating passive income for hosts. Today, the venture operates across 25 Massachusetts universities and continues to grow.

Riya arrived at BU as a pre-med neuroscience major but discovered her passion for business while engaging with Innovate@BU.

“I always felt like I had a business side to me,” Riya explains.

Over time, this realization led her to switch her majors to Computer Science and Economics, skills that proved invaluable as she developed the MatchBox app.

Running a seasonal business as a solo founder while managing college coursework presents unique challenges. MatchBox’s peak periods coincide directly with final exams, when Riya found herself juggling academic responsibilities, while hundreds of students coordinated moves. “During my final exam, I don’t have my phone, and just being gone for two hours means 50 people are moving out at that time,” she shares.

Despite these obstacles, MatchBox has achieved significant success for Riya and the students involved, with some hosts earning over $5,000 in a single summer. And even more importantly, they haven’t lost a single item entrusted to their care — no small feat for a storage business.

Riya’s success was accelerated by the supportive environment at Innovate@BU. Initially unsure of where to begin, Riya came to Innovate and quickly found herself immersed in an ecosystem that provided the support and guidance she needed. “Even if you just come to Innovate@BU and knock on someone’s door, saying ‘Hey, I just want to get started, I don’t know what to do,’ they can guide you to the right person,” she says.

“This process is incredibly lonely, especially as a solo founder,” Riya reflects. “Coming to Innovate@BU and getting encouragement – someone saying ‘Yes, you’re doing it right’ or ‘No, you need to pivot in this direction’ — really helped me.”

Riya’s entrepreneurial journey continued in Innovate@BU’s Innovation Pathway program, as she advanced through stages from “Walk” to “Run” to “Fly,” a process she describes as “empowering.” The Innovation Pathway pushed her to create pitch decks, present her ideas, and build a network of mentors – resources she “didn’t know she needed, but ended up really needing.”

Riya reflects on her time at BU and emphasizes that failure is an inevitable part of the startup journey. “There are so many times where I spent money and time on marketing that was unsuccessful,” she admits.

“Not all of us are marketing majors or finance majors. There are so many things you have to figure out as you go and you do it wrong, and that’s okay.”

Following graduation in 2025, Riya hopes to work full-time on MatchBox. The company is profitable and generating revenue and has expansion plans in the works.

Check out Riya’s feature in BostInno’s 25 under 25!

Learn more about the Innovation Pathway

Learn more about Matchbox