When Lynn Greenberg started a new job in London, she couldn’t take her many friends with her and wasn’t sure where to begin finding new ones. In order to help those having a similar issue, she and her brother created Pivt, an app set to rollout within the next few weeks that will help connect people in new locales.
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“Pivt is an app for people moving and on the move to help make any city feel like home,” explains Greenberg. “Whether a person is traveling for a job, a big move, or just passing through, Pivt ensures that any new city they encounter feels familiar by connecting then with their extended network (those connected through friends, friends of friends, hometown, university, workplace, etc.) and with people who share their interests and passions.”
Lynn’s brother, Scott — an entrepreneurship and finance major at Syracuse University — was a huge help when it came to making this dream a reality.
“At the time, Scott happened to be studying abroad in Madrid and was learning about the inefficiencies of expat workers abroad and realized that a big reason for this was linked to social issues in their new city,” explains Greenberg.
Together, the duo began work on an app to aid in the dearth of social connections that both had experienced during travel. Pivt recently conducted a successful beta, but that doesn’t mean the goings so far have been completely easy.
“There are stumbling blocks more often than not,” says Greenberg. “I joke that in tech it is always one step forward and two steps back, especially when it comes to building out the product. To get through it, we actively try to seek out and adjust our product based on user feedback as much as possible, while still keeping our overall vision intact.”
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One product of this constant ear to demand is the company’s proprietary messaging platform. “Pivt’s proprietary #hashtag messaging platform uses personalized [interest-based] group chats to connect friends and associates, and to make plans,” says Greenberg. “For example, if you were in Milan and were looking for a place to watch your favorite baseball team. You could follow #NYYankees and type, ‘Where’s the best place to watch the game tonight?’ And this will send the message out to everyone following #NYYankees.”
Pivt can be downloaded for free on the app store, although currently only available for iOS. The app will extend to Android phones in the near future. “When people refer three friends or more to Pivt, we send free wine right to their door in courtesy of our partners at Blason Louis,” says Greenberg.
As for what’s ahead for the fledgling app, Greenberg is staying tight-lipped. “We have a lot brewing and exciting enhancements that we plan on rolling out both in a couple of weeks and in a couple of years,” she says. “Due to the competitive nature, we will let you know as soon as we publicly announce them. What I can say is that off the app we plan on building a strong Pivt community through events, meet-ups and partnerships that help with our goal of making any new city feel like home.”
