We hear from James Eder on his latest venture – Causr – that has been created through a number of chance moments and coincidences that he believes often surround us every day and yet many go unrealised.
Have you ever wondered what the people at your gym class do, or where your fellow passengers waiting at the platform are going and why?
Social media may have left us more digitally connected than ever before, but it doesn’t allow for chance meetings and meaningful connections in real time. Until now.
Manufacturing Serendipity
Causr is a new app that aims to manufacture serendipity. It enables people to start a conversation with someone around them, creating a connection that would otherwise have been missed. Indeed, Causr itself was born out of a chance meeting on the tube – a meeting which spurred me to take on my next entrepreneurial challenge (previously founded Student Beans).
Not long ago I was on the Underground when someone came and sat in the seat next to him. They were clutching their CV, so he asked them where they’d been and what they were looking for. A few weeks later, they were sat together again, this time in the office of his previous company.
Sometime later, I needed to speak to a specific person from a specific business. I left the office, was standing on the platform at Golders Green, and happened to meet the exact person I needed to meet. I’d simply asked them if our train was coming soon, and it went from there.
These chance encounters made a real impact on my working life and it got him thinking about the other opportunities he must have missed over the years. That’s why I wanted to create Causr. The idea of manufacturing serendipity, though a challenge, was incredibly appealing. I wanted to enable people to create connections that would otherwise be missed. It’s clear to me that these all-important conversations often don’t happen because people lack confidence, or don’t feel like they have permission to start talking to someone they’ve never met before.
Technology Enabling Face to Face interactions
Causr sees past that. It’s an enabler – technology that empowers previously unrelated people to connect in real time, face-to-face. It gives people the confidence to start a conversation that may lead to a meaningful opportunity, or simply pass the time and have a chat that might brighten their day.
The vision for Causr is to create millions of meaningful connections for people, all around the world, every day.
Connecting the Tech City UK community
We’ve created an example Tech City UK community here.
Simply logon to the App currently iOS only they hope to be on the Android soon. Update your status to let people know what you’re up to, what you need help with and start connecting today.
