Two Dunedin brothers have turned a simple university project into a nationwide platform assisting thousands of tertiary students, with ambitions to expand overseas. While studying at the University of Otago, siblings Josiah and Sam Bugden developed CourseSpy, an online tool designed to make the complexities of university life more manageable for students.
The platform, which allows students to read and write course reviews, plan their degrees, and calculate their grade point averages, has seen significant growth. In March, CourseSpy reached a milestone of 50,000 unique users and has accumulated over 450,000 page visits from students across New Zealand. The core mission, according to co-founder Josiah Bugden, 26, is straightforward. “The core goal of all of it is to make university life easier for students,” he says.
Humble beginnings
The concept for CourseSpy originated from Josiah's own experiences as a first and second-year student at the University of Otago. Initially enrolled in science and later medicine, he found himself struggling to decide which papers to take. To gather insights, he started a Google Doc and shared it among his friends to collate their opinions on different courses, an issue faced by students nationwide, as highlighted in The ultimate guide to Auckland school zones (2026).
This simple document quickly gained traction, highlighting a clear need for a more centralised and accessible resource. Recognising the potential, Josiah began to teach himself how to code, despite having little prior experience. He built a basic website where students could post course reviews and share tips. “It kind of ballooned pretty quickly,” Josiah recalls. The rapid uptake confirmed that his side project had the potential to become a viable business.
From idea to enterprise
With a promising concept but limited business acumen, Josiah sought guidance from Startup Dunedin, a non-profit trust supported by the University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic, and the Dunedin City Council. He described himself as knowing “nothing about business” and “barely” anything about coding when he first approached the organisation.
At Startup Dunedin, he worked with Grace Esterman, who provided crucial advice on marketing, tax, and ensuring the platform met a genuine market need. Soon after, Josiah and his younger brother Sam, 22, who joined the project as chief technical officer, enrolled in Startup Dunedin’s Audacious programme. The programme, designed for student entrepreneurs, proved to be a pivotal experience. Josiah described it as “absolutely incredible,” offering expert mentorship, marketing strategies, and valuable connections, including with the university itself.
It still felt like it was something we’d slapped together.
Prizes and expansion
The brothers' hard work and the support from the local startup ecosystem began to pay off. They won prizes through the Audacious programme and secured backing from the Otago University Students’ Association. Josiah says this support was a “massive encouragement” at a time when the platform still felt like a fledgling project.
The prize money and newfound support enabled a significant expansion. CourseSpy was rolled out to all university campuses in New Zealand and about half of the country's polytechnics. The platform's functionality also grew, evolving from a simple review site to a comprehensive tool. Students can now use it to map out their entire degree, discover new courses, and calculate their grade point averages (GPA).
Last year, the siblings introduced 'Mastery Modules', an interactive online learning tool aimed at students in highly competitive courses, such as Health Sciences. While some information is sourced directly from universities, the bulk of the platform's rich dataset comes from over 18,000 reviews contributed by students themselves. “It’s beyond expectations,” Josiah says of the platform's development.
A second success story
The entrepreneurial spirit evidently runs strong in the Bugden family. Sam, the technical mind behind CourseSpy, has also developed his own successful platform, DIBS (Digital Booking System). This venture emerged during his time as a Resident Assistant at a university hall of residence.
Observing a need for a better way to manage shared resources, Sam developed DIBS to handle room bookings. The system is now used by 485 residents at St Margaret’s College and Knox College in Dunedin. Its features have expanded to include managing laundry services, promoting events, and facilitating student election voting. Like his brother, Sam credits the Audacious and the national Momentum programmes for their success, noting the value of being “surrounded by people also on the same journey.”
Looking to the future
The brothers have since moved to Christchurch, where Josiah works as a junior hospital doctor and Sam is a software engineer, continuing to work on CourseSpy part-time. Their journey has taken them to the national stage, participating in the Momentum programme for student entrepreneurs. In recognition of his achievements, Josiah won the student entrepreneur category at the 2025 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards and was a speaker at the 2026 Angel Association New Zealand Summit.
Sam says it is a good feeling to see so many people get so much value from the platform. With a proven track record in New Zealand and a platform that has exceeded their own expectations, the Bugden brothers are now looking at taking CourseSpy to an international audience.
