Inspiration
You go to a conference hoping to meet new people, but end up talking to the people you already know. Even when a networking platform recommends someone, two questions remain: Will both people agree to meet? And will the conversation actually be worthwhile? That gap became the starting point for MeetMates. Research by Ingram and Morris also observed this pattern at a business networking event: participants wanted to meet new people, yet were more likely to encounter existing friends. We wanted to help attendees find a reason to step outside their familiar group. Someone across the room might have exactly the experience they need—and might also benefit from what they know. Our concept is simple: Explore Broadly. Connect Deeply. Our proposed approach is to use feedback from real conversations to make the next introduction more relevant.
What it does
MeetMates is a mobile-first networking platform designed to help conference attendees discover mutually valuable connections.
Participants describe what they are Seeking and Offering. MeetMates uses both sides of that exchange to suggest people and explain why an introduction could benefit each person.
Our intended experience follows a continuous feedback loop:
Discover: Receive recommendations based on your goals and what you can offer.
Decide: Review the “Why connect” explanation and request an introduction. Meetings require mutual agreement.
Meet: Have a five-minute conversation, supported by relevant conversation prompts.
Reflect: Answer a brief survey about whether the conversation was useful and whether you would like to follow up.
Refine: Optionally record a meeting memo and choose whether its relevant takeaways can inform future recommendations.
For example, an attendee might discover that they need help validating an idea before finding a technical cofounder. Their next recommendations should reflect that updated goal.
The aim is for each conversation to inform the next introduction.
How we built it
How we built it We started by considering four networking challenges: finding the right people, choosing conversation topics, discovering chemistry, and making meetings happen efficiently. We chose People Matching as our main focus and designed the mobile experience around two profile inputs: Seeking and Offering. The matching approach considers both directions: what one person needs that the other can offer, and what makes the connection worthwhile for the other person. A “Why connect” explanation makes that reasoning visible. We then mapped the journey from event registration and profile creation through recommendations, requests, introductions, and follow-up. Topic prompts and short introductions support that journey.
Challenges we ran into
One challenge was defining what makes a good match. Similar interests can help, but two people with different backgrounds may have more to offer each other. Another was deciding what AI should predict. Professional relevance can inform a recommendation, but it cannot guarantee that two people will enjoy talking. We therefore treat chemistry as something participants discover through meeting. We also worked through practical questions: how to coordinate movement, handle extensions, and avoid conflicting reservations without disrupting other participants.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We turned a broad networking problem into a focused product direction. Every part of the design supports the same question: Why would both of these people want to meet? We are also proud of connecting recommendations to an in-person experience. Finding a promising profile is only useful if participants can take the next step and actually talk.
What we learned
A relevant recommendation and a successful connection are different things. People also need a clear reason to meet, mutual agreement, and an easy way to begin. We learned to separate evidence from assumptions. Research helped us identify problems worth exploring, but it does not prove that our particular solution works. Acceptance rates alone are also insufficient. What matters is whether both participants feel the conversation was worthwhile.
What's next for Untitled
What's next for MeetMates Our next step is a small event pilot comparing AI recommendations with a simple matching baseline while keeping conversation time and prompts consistent.
Built With
- chatgpt
- claude
- muse
