When have you created something impressive with very limited resources (time, equipment, advice, support, money etc)?
I’ve created 2 open-source applications & community that represents everything that I stand for. For over a year, I’ve been working on using technology to reduce the barrier to human connection. I started off with building an app called Exo that helps people have better conversations with their partners and friends. Then eight months ago, I started working on another app that aims to fight loneliness in university. I have spent 700+ hours in the IDE building these two apps and dozens of hours on researching, designing, validating, etc. I’m also a recovering socially anxious person who struggled to value themselves and deeply bond with people. This mindset impacted every area of my life. Thankfully, through learning and continuous trial & error, I learned so much about human nature. Now I want to share that wisdom with the world through content like YouTube videos and tech like apps.
When have you taken a risk to achieve a desired outcome?
I strive to take risks every day because it trains me to seize the opportunity whenever it shows up. Most times these risks end up not working in my favor, but I try to learn from them so that I don’t fail next time. The biggest challenge I have faced in life was overcoming porn addiction while also feeling lonely. My motivation for quitting that was so high because I refuse to let any external substance control me. I’ve been a slave to people pleasing, video games, and pornography. But thankfully, not anymore. So of course, I am now on a mission to help others break free from anything that controls them. The risk I took was sharing everything that I learned from that experience despite people advising me not to. I can’t stay quiet about something that is aligned with my purpose of helping people reach their full potential. Reason is because I can’t stay quiet about something that: 1) I truly believe is true and 2) is aligned with my purpose of helping people reach their full potential.
What’s the hardest technical problems you’ve solved, by yourself or in a team?
- I wanted to reduce the barrier to real human connection.
- In our first iteration of Orbit, I designed a system that used real-time location to help users “bump” into others nearby who shared their values and interests, triggering a push notification when paths crossed. It felt magical — but I knew location tracking raised huge privacy and energy concerns.
- After building a prototype, I decided to pivot to a simpler approach while continuing to think deeply about how to solve those core challenges. I’m now exploring how GenAI could offer a new way to create serendipitous connection without compromising user trust
Why do you want to do FIND?
- If I had to pick one reason. It would be helping me find mentorship and people who deeply think of the problems that I am trying to solve (e.g. lonliness).
- Exchange knowledge, learnings, wisdom, perspectives.
- I know I am not the only person who deeply thinks of these things. I wanna find these people so we can work together to make real change in this world.
- If my idea doesn’t align with your current vision, I’d appreciate any recommendations for communities where I might find the right support.