PSU students create mobile app for finding new friends

UNIVERSITY PARK -- It seems like nowadays, there's almost a mobile app for everything.

Now there is one that can help you meet new people and it started right at Penn State.

Andrew Simpson and Kenny Dundorf went up to complete strangers over the summer and tried to have a normal conversation.

"You know everyone is on their phones,” Dundorf said. “No one just comes up to you and starts a random conversation unless they are trying to sell you something."

They said the experience was a bit awkward. So they decided they wanted to create something to make meeting people easier.

"Most people in our generation don't have the confidence to go up to someone and have a conversation,” Simpson said. “Not only people in our generation but us two as well."

Someonew is a mobile app that allows Facebook users to select five interests they have, and connect with people who have common interests within a 30-foot range.

"We pass thousands of people every day especially here at Penn State,” Dundorf said. “You don’t know that person you just passed could be your next best friend, future business partner or spouse."

Dundorf, a Penn State junior in the Information Science Technology program, and Simpson, a Penn State graduate with a degree in criminology, began this project last summer. They hope to launch their full version of the app later this month.

“We found that when you find common ground and a common interest, that kind of provides a cornerstone for a relationship to develop,” Dundorf said.

Users also have the option to kindly decline a conversation. Unlike the mobile dating app tinder, Someonew only shows users with common interests, and not their picture. But once both users accept, they can then see what each other look like and then develop a friendship.

"Penn State is our testing ground," Simpson said. "Once we figure out how to make it work here, we want to replicate it to other universities."

Both Simpson and Dundorf are even looking to expand Someonew to cities down the line.

The beta version of Someonew is available to download in Google Play or the Apple App Store. If you have any suggestions for them on how to improve the app before their launch, email them at support@someonew.com.

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