Here’s a brilliantly simple idea.Agorais a service built on the Foursquare API, designed to match you up with likeminded folk when you check in at a location.
Let’s say you arrive at a bar where twenty others are checked in. Agora will work its magic in the background, using the Twitter API to analyse who you share similar interests with. The service will then send out a tweet telling you and the others similar to you that you should meet, giving them scores based on their similarity to you.
If you’re somewhere like New York or London, with a highly active Foursquare community, Agora could be a useful networking tool. Foursquare co-founder, Dennis Crowley recentlydescribedthe app as a “Hot use” for the API, andsuggestedimproving the app by filtering out people who you check in with on a regular basis.
Agora was built in five hours by New York-based at the first Foursquare Hackathon. Its creator, New York-based Pierre Valade is planning to build the service into a social calendar solution that simplifies scheduling in the same way that Dropbox made filesharing refreshingly easy. Valade was one of the entrepreneurspitchingUnion Square Ventures VC Albert Wenger in elevators at SXSW last weekend. Here’s his brief, literal ‘elevator pitch’.
Agora at Courtyard by Marriott Austin Downtown (Convention Center)byalbertwenger
Agora is quick and easy to try. Just connect it up to your Foursquare account fromits websiteand you’re good to go.
Image Credit /Nan Palmero
Story byMartin SFP Bryant
Martin SFP Bryant is the founder of UK startup newsletter PreSeed Now and technology and media consultancy Big Revolution. He was previously(show all)Martin SFP Bryant is the founder of UK startup newsletterPreSeed Nowand technology and media consultancyBig Revolution. He was previously Editor-in-Chief at TNW.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
