What is Connect_UNI?
Lippers: ‘It will be a web app that connects students on campus. Signing up with a student email ensures only students will be able to join. They can set up a profile with their name, age, passions, hobbies, and interests. You can choose from a list of interests or add new ones. For example, if you play football and like playing cards, you insert these hobbies. The system will match the students based on their passions, which makes it easy for the matched-up students to connect. You can even create events for people to join.’
Sautmann: ‘If you are new to the university, and you want to find band members, you can state that you look for musical people and get matched. For purposes like that, we created a simple and user-friendly platform. Our main goal is to connect students based on their passions and interests.’
How did you come up with the idea?
Sautmann: ‘Through personal experience. When I came here, I just left my band in my hometown. I thought it should be easy to find other guitarists at such a big university, but it was actually quite hard. We participated in the minor ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ in which we had to create a startup project. We wanted to create something where people can find someone to share their passion with, especially when they are new to the country or on campus. We conducted interviews and surveys with 275 students, and 90% encountered similar difficulties as me. Then we entered the Novel-T START program, and they helped us with finding our focus. We even got promoted to their Advanced Program and currently participate in the UT Challenge.’
Why does the UT need your app?
Stiebel: ‘Well-being is increased when people connect through shared interests and the UT focuses on the mental health. It’s a win-win situation. If it’s up to us, there has never been an easier way to connect passions on campus.’
Lippers: ‘It’s easy to find friends, but not so easy to find people with the same passions as you.’
What are your further plans with Connect_UNI?
Stiebel: ‘We are already in deep discussions with the UT on implementation purposes. Now our app is fully conceptualized, and we already have an app developer. We want to start with beta testing and prototyping from June to September, and then start the test year from the Kick-In on.’
Sautmann: ‘We want to start with the Kick-In, so new students can make connections as soon as they arrive on campus. Connect_UNI can become an integral part of campus life, like Canvas or Rooster. It should become a tool that students use to facilitate their life here at the university and to follow their passions.’
Stiebel: Once it’s successful here, we hope to expand to other Dutch universities and later to other countries.’
