Hashmeet: The app that helps you build real connections with real people in a short time

This article is sponsored by Hashmeet.

Just moved to a new locality and want to hang out with people who like the same things as you do? You try out a people-finder tool only to discover that the algorithms got it wrong and you don’t really have that much in common with the person or group you were matched with. Or worse, you find you are interacting with spammers or even non-human entities. In a world where there are so many people with varied interests and tastes, you would think there are others like you looking for the same things as you are. What if you had a simple and secure way to connect and meet them in person?

Hashmeet is one such people discovery tool that can help you expand your circle, without compromising on security. The idea behind Hashmeet is that that algorithms cannot always be intuitive and configure every small individual need, as human beings have unique requirements. The app enables you to meet like-minded people in your area who are genuinely interested in connecting with others who have similar interests.

Why this is the real deal

Hashmeet, lets you create/join groups and swipe clubs to meet real people in your vicinity. From finding jogging buddies, business partners, self-help groups, employment opportunities, or even looking for personal relationships such as dating, and matrimony – this app is indeed a club for ‘doers’ and gives you the power to decide who you want to reach out to in your locality.

What’s great about Hashmeet is that it focuses on keeping the interactions real, among real people. To start a new group, one has to pay a certain amount, and facilitate either free or paid options for members who want to join. According to the Hashmeet team, this filter can keep out unwanted spammers and bots. Once the group is created, you have the option of playing an admin’s role and bringing in new members into the group via paid or free membership options.

Swiping apps are the newest rage now, when it comes to finding people who interest you. Think Tinder, and the convenience of anonymously swiping right to like a person or left to skip the profile without the subjects being notified about it. Hashmeet also allows you to create and join any swipe club of your interest. It differs from other dating apps by letting you start or join a club customised for your particular requirements, again based on geolocation. For example, you can have swipe clubs for Hindi-speaking people, French-speaking people, or pure vegetarians within a certain radius.

The Team behind Hashmeet

A bootstrapped startup with a team of less than 10, Hashmeet has been founded by 30-year-old Sandeep Borra. Sandeep is passionate about exploring how social media tools with the right settings can be used to solve people’s problems in real life. He started his journey two and half years ago, experimenting with various ideas in the field of social media and people discovery tools, and finally came up with the concept of Hashmeet.

Sandeep currently handles the Business Development, strategy and UI/UX aspects of the app. Other members of the team include Saketh and Madhuri who are developing the iOS app, while Divya, Harish, Mounika, Aditya and Ranjith Singh are involved in all other aspects of the business.

The app was launched in June 2016 on the iOS app store and has been adding new users daily. In a span of just two months, the app has reached 5000 downloads. While the app is available globally, Hashmeet is presently getting a lot of appreciation both from the Indian and US markets. In fact, Hashmeet has been acquiring users in US and India solely by word of mouth and is keen to expand to other parts of the world.

Freemium model for creative collaboration

Currently available for iOS, Hashmeet is free to download and use. It even gives you the liberty to try a Free Groups and Free Swipe Clubs. For the premium model, you can start a group or club with either the $0.99 option or the $4.99 option. If you start a group with $.99, others also need to pay $.99 to join the group. If you opt for the $4.99 model, you become the admin and have the option to either let people join the group for free or for a token amount below $4.99. Hashmeet works on a freemium model in which the users pay to create their own groups, and can invite other users to join either by paying a minimum fee or for free.

In fact, Hashmeet can also be used for other interesting collaborations. Let’s say, you are making a short movie with a Rs 50 lakh budget. All your pleas for funding from family and friends have failed, probably because they don't share the same interest in movies as you do. You want to find someone who is passionate about the idea and wants to invest in something like this. While social media channels can be a medium to reach out, there is no way to evaluate the sincerity of people offering to help on these, and could eventually translate into a lot of time being wasted. Though technically not a fundraising app, Hashmeet can be used for this purpose. On Hashmeet, the user can make a group and other users will have to pay a fee of $0.99, which also shows the other person’s genuine interest in the project.

They are getting positive feedback on the App Store and are actively seeking their first round of funding which will help them develop and execute their strategy for the Android Play Store and acquire many more customers.

Sector overview

While Apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Truly Madly focus on dating and services like Meetup encourage group interactions, Hashmeet has the best of both worlds and can be an interesting solution for people who are keen to find the right partner/team/group, with a genuine desire to.

So, if you want to say goodbye to forced conversations and awkward silences, you can download the Hashmeet iOS app here: hashmeet.io.

Watch the video here: https://goo.gl/YTaZIL