A virtual networking app which describes itself as the “Tinder for business” is hopeful of securing angel investment as it gains international traction.
The GeoMingle app, which is being developed with support from Coventry University, allows people to network with fellow users in the immediate vicinity.
It could change how people interact at conferences and business events.
Founder Mostafa Hashem told BusinessCloud: “I met with an angel investor last month. The pitch is still on the table – it’s not secured yet – but it was through a referral by someone who knows both of us, so that’s helping.
“We’re not sticking to one investor, however: I’ve got a few leads through the university.”
The app, currently in beta and set for a full release next month, has 6,500 users in the UK and 4,500 in Dubai, where expats are using it to make new acquaintances.
Egyptian Hashem, who formerly ran a start-up backed by a Google VP in Dubai before making a successful exit, said the fledgling success of GeoMingle in the Emirate is an “interesting coincidence”.
GeoFeeds within the free app, which was trialled at Web Summit in Portugal last year, give users a live news feed within their location.
“We might be in the same airport, on the same train, attending the same event. There is one app for every location: Birmingham Airport has an app, Heathrow Airport has an app, Gatwick Airport has one,” he added.
“The moment you walk into a location you get a public news feed, like a Twitter feed, which pushes all the information.
“We also see ourselves in the advertising and data business because the amount of data we are able to capture is outstanding and also very good from a data analytics perspective.”
Hashem moved to the UK in 2013 to study for an MBA degree at Coventry Uni, which subsequently incubated GeoMingle.
“I think universities are making a lot of effort in the Midlands towards supporting businesses because as an international student they offered me an opportunity,” he added.
“I am now a part-time lecturer as part of the support package I’m getting. That gives me access to different types of students, including business and computing students.
“I have a few interns starting in April plus an EU intern through Erasmus, which is funded by Coventry Uni.”