When Ben Chwalek left his home in Boston to attend the University of Colorado Boulder, he knew little of the town beyond the college brochure. Many students can relate, with 42 percent of undergraduates coming from out of state.
But even those who grew up nearby often have just as many questions about life in and around campus. Liam Zirkle, who was raised in Colorado Springs, knows this to be true.
The two met in the dorms their freshman year and were both attending business school. Chwalek was studying personal financial planning, while Zirkle had a dual major in finance and real estate.
With a shared interest in entrepreneurship, they often discussed startup ideas and decided to launch a digital marketing agency, all while balancing busy class schedules and full social lives.
Then, during their senior year, they chose to pivot in favor of a new venture: Tour The Hill. The concept came about at the start of the 2025 fall semester when Chwalek’s family friends were considering CU Boulder for college. They took the university-run campus tour but wanted to better understand what Boulder offered beyond the classroom.
Chwalek and Zirkle took the family to key local attractions and answered their questions around Greek life, the best places to live as a student and more. That’s when the idea of offering private off-campus tours clicked.
“We wish something like this existed when we were looking at Boulder,” says Zirkle, adding that the company exclusively employs current CU Boulder students as guides. “We really want the families and the incoming students to be able to ask questions, and for them to get the most true and up-to-date experience and information.”
Though the official campus tour is also run by students, groups are hosted only once or twice per day, and often consist of around 40 people. Tour The Hill, by contrast, offers its 60- to 90-minute experiences several times between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. Priced at $150, the customizable tours are also private to students and their families.
“We fully encourage parents to come,” says Zirkle. “They’re the ones normally paying for this tour and a lot of times, they’re paying for college, too. It’s important that they understand and get their questions answered as well, and feel good about their child’s decision.”
He emphasizes that Tour The Hill does not aim to compete with or replace the official campus tour. Instead, its guided experiences complement the university’s offerings by providing deeper insight into Boulder—and, in particular, the student-populated University Hill neighborhood.
Set within walking distance of campus, The Hill is home to local retailers, lively bars and great dining options like The Sink, the oldest restaurant in the city. Hotels like Limelight Boulder and Moxy Boulder University have also recently debuted. The Fox Theatre, one of the city’s top live music venues, is another draw, as are the numerous fraternity and sorority houses.
Chwalek and Zirkle are alumni of Theta Chi, and several of their company’s guides are actively involved in Greek life—a topic many prospective students, and their often-skeptical parents, want to learn more about. But the co-founders say there’s more to it than just parties.
“Looking back at my college experience, I don’t know what I would have done without [Greek life],” says Chwalek, explaining that being part of a fraternity exposed him to people of similar interests and allowed him to foster meaningful relationships.
But regardless of interest in Greek life, the co-founders believe that this neighborhood offers the best social experience for students. Most students who attend CU Boulder eventually live off-campus, and Zirkle estimates that the majority are based in The Hill.
“I think if you can live really anywhere on The Hill, that’s just going to make your experience so much better because you’re going to meet so many more kids. You’re going to be at the center of the college experience,” says Chwalek.
The co-founders completed their undergraduate programs this past May and currently, neither is based in Boulder. Ever ambitious, Chwalek is back in Boston employed at Fidelity Investments and Zirkle is traveling cross-country while working on launching a second startup.
However, the two remain committed to growing Tour The Hill. Their first order of business is rebranding in order to offer similar tours in other college towns as early as next semester. Current targets are larger schools with a decent percentage of out-of-state students, such as Colorado State University in Fort Collins. But the duo are looking to launch nationwide, too.
“Obviously, college is a huge investment,” says Zirkle. “If we can help people make the right decision, that’s the real goal behind what we’re doing.”
