Connect Me

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

Connect Me

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Ideefase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

Still working on it (:

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

The challenge

Do you recognize the problem of thinking “I wish I had…” after attending an educational or professional events? This often arises because people during the event don’t feel well-prepared, didn’t encounter the right person, don’t have all the time to explore, or didn’t have the confidence to initiate conversations. This leads to missed opportunities for valuable interactions, networking and professional growth. The core of the issue lies in the lack of self-confidence, preparation, planning and skills to initiate contacts, this makes people feel uncomfortable and unable to fully capitalize on the opportunities these business events offer.

The solution

Connect Me can solve the problem by lowering the barrier for people to make initiate contact during educational and professional events. By offering the option to enter personal information such as work experience and educational background in a website/app via a QR code upon entry, participants can easily see who is present and which participants may be interesting for a conversation and where to locate them. This makes it easier for them to approach others because they already have a topic of conversation and can see who is open for interaction and see what there interest and goal is during the event. This reduces missed opportunities and allows for deeper connections between participants, which is a more efficient way of networking. Additionally, the system facilitates the matchmaking process of exchanging contact information during talks, increasing the likelihood of continued contact after the event. This contributes to building long-term professional relationships and strengthening the network of participants.

So Connect Me ensures that you’ll no longer find yourself thinking ‘I wish I had…’ after attending an business event (:

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

Summary key benefits Connect Me:

– Reducing social barriers: The system lowers the barrier for people to connect during educational and professional events, making them feel more confident to initiate conversations and interactions.

– Information provision: The system provides participants with information about other attendees, allowing them to see who is present and which participants might be interesting for conversation.

– Efficiency: Utilizing the system makes networking more efficient as participants can easily identify who is open to interaction and exchange contact information during conversations.

– Deeper connections: By lowering barriers and providing information, the system fosters deeper connections between participants, ultimately leading to more valuable and long-lasting professional relationships.

Through these advantages, Connect Me not only provides a practical solution to the problem of missed opportunities during business events but also creates an environment where participants have more opportunities to forge valuable connections and expand their networks.

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

To further develop Connect Me, I am focusing on the following steps:

1. Prototype Development (App/Website): Designing and building a user-friendly prototype, including core functionalities.
2. Matchmaking System: Researching and developing an effective matchmaking algorithm based on user criteria.
3. AI Integration: Applying AI for data analysis, developing machine learning models for better matchmaking, and personalizing the user experience.
4. Validation Research: Conducting additional research to ensure the need, validity and reliability.

These steps will help refine and optimize Connect Me for users (B2B/B2C).

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

To make a greater impact with this initiative, I need the following:

1. Guidance:
   • Mentorship: Experienced mentors to advise on product development, lean business model, and user acquisition strategies.
   • Expertise: Access to experts in technology, AI, and matchmaking to enhance the solution’s quality and effectiveness.
2. Funding:
   • Investment Capital: Money to cover development, marketing, and expansion costs.
   • Grants and Funds: Access to grants and funds specifically for innovation and technological development.
3. Time:
   • Dedicated Time: Sufficient time for research, development, and testing of the product.
   • Iterative Development: Time to gather feedback and make iterative improvements to optimize the product.

With guidance, funding, and time, I can significantly increase the impact of Connect Me and provide a sustainable, effective solution for our users (B2B/B2C).