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Aaron Benz is sick of texting “where are you.”
And he's betting you might be too. Think about how often you probably text that phrase to friends or family. We probably all ask that question fairly often, usually only to receive a mediocre description of where somebody actually is. Benz knew the technology to share location information was available, and he couldn’t figure out why no one had created one app to make it easier to meet up with people.
“I just kept asking myself, ‘how can I create a better experience for people to meet up with each other, to replace the conversation that’s already happening,’” Benz said.
So, the Austin resident recently left his job as a data scientist at Accenture to find out if he could make his app a reality. Benz created Zync Up about 10 months ago and the app just debuted in the iTunes store last month. You can now share your location with any connection with the app for any amount of time, as well as get directions to someone who has shared their location with you, all in one map.
If zooming in on a user’s location isn’t enough, you can tap to message the friend to find out even more details.
Benz knows privacy is a huge concern for people, so you can stop sharing location data any time.
Eventually, Benz plans to integrate more services into Zync Up. For example, tapping your friend on the map to order an Uber from your location to that destination. He will also continue adding additional new features through the end of 2015, including badges and more messaging capabilities.
“The idea is that from one place I can manage my people and services — all the things I use to communicate with the world,” Benz said. “That’s the idea behind Zync Up, that the world revolves around you.”
Benz is currently seeking a co-founder and/or fulltime iOS developer. He’s bootstrapping the company for now and working out of Capital Factory.
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