Ogle

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Ogle

United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
Website:
http://www.ogleapp.com
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

A social mobile app with geo-location services that allows users to connect anywhere.

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

The social need is to connect individuals more "on-the-go" as opposed to "from home". Facebook, twitter, and other social networks help you connect with users from a distance. Ogle tries to connect users who are right next to you. At the beach, gym, club, restaurant, work, Ogle aims to help users meet and connect; breaking the ice.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Ogle is an app for iphone and Android. With in-built GPS technology, it maps out other users within a 1km radius and shows you their interesting profile details. You can send an "ogle" or can "favourite" them, both which add to their global score. When you are not in the mood to "notice, or be noticed" by other users, you can simply switch off location services and use the app offline. There is a customized Ranking search that allows you to see who is most Ogled in a city, university, or just amongst your friends. Ogle is a lighthearted way to break the ice.
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

How often do you see someone interesting at the cafe or on campus? And then they're gone, never to be seen again. With Ogle, log into the app and go to "Nearby". There's a Map view and List view to show you interesting users nearby. Map view: shows you a map with user face-cards within a 1km radius. List view: shows you a list of the users around you with photos and their profile details (number of ogles, favourites, location, photo album, etc) You have 4 options: Ogle / Favourite / Chat / Go to Facebook. Ogle: sends the user an Ogle or "check-out", and it adds to their score. Favourite: adds the user to your Favourites list. That way, you get notified every time they get Ogled. Chat: this feature only opens up if you ogle someone and they ogle you back. Go to Facebook: just like that, you now have that person as a friend on Facebook. Ogle allows you to connect with people you otherwise would not be able to meet. It's an ice-breaker from a distance. If you are a tourist just arriving in Barcelona and do not know anyone.. you get to the beach. If you put on Ogle app, you are likely to find several users just next to you who are willing to meet and show you around the city, go out that night, etc.
Sustainability

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

There are numerous competitors, but that is a good thing. More than 20 social, mobile location apps are worth over $10m. At least 5 are worth over $1bn. Badoo, Skout, eHarmony. Obviously big demand. We've studied our competitors in depth to offer numerous superior features. In creating Ogle, we've studied our peers in depth and created a model that separates us from the all. We've put extra effort into tackling privacy. As soon as someone goes more than 1km away from you, you lose their details. They get erased from the map. Other apps tell you users locations anywhere around the world. You always know where someone is and that's a bit of a breach of privacy. Ogle is a safe and lighthearted way to meet other users. It's more like a popularity contest than a dating app.
Team

Founding Story

I was at a cafe and saw the most beautiful girl sitting across from us. She was with a friend we recognized. Something about that scenario was very depressing. In a few minutes she would get up and leave and I'd never get the chance to meet her. It was all about the access. I wasn't going to get up and walk across to speak to her in front of everyone. There had to be another way to break the ice with someone right next to you. After she had left, we actually spent the afternoon trying to figure out who she was. After going through lists of friends, we found her on Facebook. If she were on Ogle, we'd be on facebook within minutes. We could also chat through the app. The most successful competitor apps bring you user locations within 25km or a city. Our app goes as far as a few meters.
About You
About You
First Name

Oliver

Tell us about yourself/your team.

Oliver - Management and Finances
Joe - Marketing
Adrian - Design
Vibhin, Aparna, Rekha - Development

What makes you an intrapreneur? What are the skills, capabilities, and personality traits that make you an intrapreneur?

- Multi-tasking
- Management
- Business Strategy
- Marketing
- Creativity

About Your Organization
Company Country

, DU

Primary country where this project is creating social impact

, DU

Additional countries or regions

USA, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa

Industry

Other

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Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution

Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)

The Solution: Why is this solution innovative for your company and industry?

There are many social, mobile apps out there. The difference with Ogle is it can break down your location to a few meters to show you who is right next to you at the restaurant. Also, we have a customized Ranking search that allows you to look up other users by city, education, or amongst friends. The user interface is simple and the design is great.
Most importantly, Ogle to caters to users who shy away other "sleazy" apps. Can only chat with users who have allowed you to.

Impact
What has been the impact of your solution to date?

We are launching the app next week. There is already great hype about it and many people are waiting for it to launch.
Hopefully the impact will be big. Can update you as we go along.

What is your projected impact over the next 1 to 3 years?

Looking to bring in 50,000 users in the first year, raise a second decent round of funding, and develop the technology much further.

The goal is millions of users in 2-3 years.

What barriers might hinder the success of your project? How do you plan to overcome them?

- People not liking the app
- Users already using other apps and do not want to convert

Our app only offers additional features and would help increase user's social interactions so we do not see any harm in adding Ogle to their list.

Sustainability
What is the benefit or value you're creating for your business?

Managing the team: developers, designers, marketers, financiers
Making sure everything is on track and ready for launch

How are you leveraging internal resources (funds, time, knowledge, etc.) to support this initiative?

I've raised every cent for this investment from connections in the industry. A private fund and few individual investors.
My time in banking has taught me all I've needed for this venture so far from raising capital to valuation and managing funds.

Expand on your answer, explaining the long-term funding and support plan.

We've raised a small seed Round to bring the venture to where it is (build prototype, light marketing, legal protection, etc)

We are looking to raise around $1m in a second round when we have a decent initial user base. This will be used for full-time hires, office space, a full-time development team, upgraded servers, deep legal protection globally (trademarks, patents), and a team to develop a complex algorithm for the Ogle score software that we plan to develop next year when the app gains traction.

Tell us about your partnerships across your company and externally that are key to your project's success.

Our investors worked in very high positions in Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered, marketing firms and IT development firms.

We are in contact with several VC funds for round 2 and a few celebrities for marketing.
Overall, we have a very solid team in place and some very qualified names eager to take part.

Looking promising.

What internal support have you gotten for your project? What kind of push-back have you received?

Push-back is the fear it might take time away from work, or pose conflicts of interest, etc..
Internal support: everyone loves the idea, several individuals are eager to invest and take part.
I've been encouraged to pursue the project as it looks very promising.