Photo by Jason Koski via Cornell University
An undergraduate team at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration won the $3,000 top prize for their dating app Weet.
The students introduced at the fifth annual Cornell Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition, Cornell Chronicle reports.
Indian American student Abhimanyu Goyal, also known as Abhimanyu Goel, presented the app, according to India West. He presented it as an improvement to other dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge.
The app’s name Weet works similarly to the “swiping” dating apps mentioned above. But it goes a few steps further, moving the users up a few matches to a “podium” indicating a desire to meet in person. If the matched couple is available to meet on a certain day, the app makes reservations at a local restaurant according to the users’ food preferences. This way, the pressure on a couple to plan a date is removed while restaurants partnered with the app gain new diners.
“Imagine not having to take the first step, not having to take that first chance, getting the date set up for you,” Goyal said according to India West. “We do it all for you, and I think that’s our biggest differentiator.”
According to Cornell Chronicle, online matches on swiping apps like Tinder rarely convert to in-person meetings. But Weet hopes to reduce difficulties from the dating process and spark connections over meals.
“Eating meals is something we do every day. Why not use just one of those meals to meet someone new?” Goyal said. “In just a few hours, [Weet converts] an online match into a real-world date… We welcome you to stop eating, and start Weeting.”
The competition, overseen by a panel of judges, aims to support student entrepreneurs in hospitality-based ventures. Abhimanyu’s team won against 25 other teams participating for the same prize.
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