AirFive is an app designed by MSU alumnus Jeremy Redman to help students and alumni network with each other. It has been described as the Tinder of networking.
“It’s like Tinder, if you will, for networking," marketing intern for AirFive and environmental geography senior David Welsh said. "If it’s somebody you like, you just swept left or right. You swipe left for coffee and swipe right for food."
The app was released to the Apple and Android stores three weeks ago.
Computer science senior Adam Schoonmaker began helping with the app’s development last summer.
“Some of the things I did (were to) help (Redman) brainstorm ideas — what the app should do, how it can be better — and then I actually went into the code and made those changes myself,” Schoonmaker said.
Redman said he worked hard to ensure the app is an effective tool for college students.
“I’ve spent countless hours and dollars on finding alumni and people to have coffee with and sourcing jobs from them,” Redman said.
The app is a tool for Redman to share everything he has learned about the world of employment and networking.
“I can teach the college kids now to do what took me forever to do,” Redman said. “It's teaching them these things that I’ve built into the app, like how easy it is, and then to carry those habits on after they graduate.”
The goal for this time next year is to launch the app on all campuses across the U.S., Welsh said.
AirFive is launching in Michigan and Redman’s current city of residence, Los Angeles, he said. In December they will meet to plan the launch of AirFive at Big Ten and Ivy League schools.
The app is being rolled out at a grassroots level in East Lansing.
“With Michigan State, where we’ve kind of done beta testing, we’re rolling it out and seeing if it really has the legs (in) the one ecosystem where we can pretty much control from all sides,” Redman said.
Welsh said the plan is to market the app online and through different events
“Right now we’re doing an email marketing campaign to reach the most MSU students, and we are planning to be hosting some events at the HopCat around the time of the MSU, U-M game,” Welsh said.
Creating the app has been difficult but also very rewarding, Redman said. “You go home and sometimes you're working for 16 hours a day, 18 hours a day, every waking moment."
But Redman said building the app is a labor of love.
"I say if it's meant for you you will wake up the next morning and be ready to attack the day again for another 16 hours," Redman said.
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