Why sit at home alone?

The app is the solution to a problem they encountered themselves, after a concert on a weekday back in May 2014.

- We wanted to go out, but who else was going out?, says Mads Vedsø.

Instead of going out, the founders-to-be went home and stayed up all night brainstorming the idea that is now accessible to users across the world.

The concept is clear: Through Nearby You, the user can meet other people, who has also gone out and at the same time receive personal offers from nearby bars.

A QUARTER OF A MILLION KRONER AND A FULL YEAR

The app is based on spontanity and the urge to meet new people. For the bars in the night life, the app presents an opportunity to reach nearby and potential customers.

Developing the idea and the design of the app didn’t take long, but the two founders had hoped that a usable version would be ready for public release earlier in 2015.

- We didn’t think that developing an app would be so comprehensive, says Mads Vedsø.

Mads Vedsø is an AP graduate in marketing management and a current bachelor student of international sales and marketing management. Emil Hamann has a background in commerce and is studying to be a teacher.

The app development has been conducted in Vietnam and it hasn’t been cheap. In total, the founders have spent 250.000 Danish kroner and most of that amount has been for the programming. Alas, the time schedule didn’t hold up.

- It was supposed to be finished in January, says Emil Hamann.

The wait was a long one for the founders. Not least because they couldn’t do much to advance the project, while the app was being programmed.

- It has been difficult to make any deals because of the delays, says Mads Vedsø.

He explains that they have actually had business deals come to nothing due to not having a finished product.

Now, however, the app is ready. Mads Vedsø and Emil Hamann also rejoice in the fact that they have expanded their team to include a developer.

Communication will be much easier, when they are all in the same room, they say.

GLOBAL AND LOCAL AT THE SAME TIME

On Friday 11 September 2015, Nearby You is hosting a launch party in Copenhagen. The app has officially been available for one month, but it hasn’t been promoted until now.

Mads Vedsø and Emil Hamann are hoping that the students at Cphbusiness will be the first big group to start using Nearby You. Even though the app is designed with global distribution in mind, the group behind the app wants to focus on cities and campuses.

This is why Lasse Just is part of the team. He lives in Cambridge, where he studies and analyses the market in the university town, which holds a great potential for Nearby You. During September, he has had the chance to spend a couple of days with the founders, before the heads back.

At Cphbusiness, Mads Vedsø and Emil Hamann have spread the word about the app and by volunteering their business as a case for students at both Cphusiness Nørrebro and Cphbusiness Søerne they have received a lot of feedback.

THE INCUBATOR OFFERS A GREAT NETWORK

Mads Vedsø and Emil Hamann are among the entrepreneurs, who are part of the incubator at Cphbusiness Søerne. They have been so for the last six months, something which has been very helpful, says Mads vedsø.

- It is nice to have this network. There is always someone who has got experience with the dilemmas you encounter. And now we are also able to help others, he says.

In the incubator the members share their experiences and contacts with each other. Whether it is designers, web developers or something else the entrepreneurs need, someone always has a good contact, says Emil Hamann.

Photo: Emil Hamann(left) and Mads Vedsø(right) founded Nearby You while Lasse Just(center) joined the team later.