I would love to do my best to answer, can you share a little bit more about your audience and the problem the product solves? At that point I could give a much more thorough opinion on your situation.
Sure, I will love to share with you. Most students in my country face a lot of problem in trying to build their skills for a good career in future specially those who are not from top universities. My product is about connecting college students in tech fields (like computer science) with people from industry who are willing to help and guide them.
Oh okay, thanks for the background. If I were in your shoes, I would push as hard as I could to build a simple prototype, and then attempt to get as many meetings as possible with industry leaders that could (sponsor) your app. It's really in their best interest if you're solving a problem for the students and the firms.