On Nov. 5, Alec Stevanovski and Chris Human released Thrive, an app to connect and network with students on campus. Stevanovski and Human are juniors with plans of majoring in management. The app is free; no subscriptions are required and there are no advertisements. Thrive is an app made by UNC Charlotte students for UNC Charlotte students.
How is this app different than other social media?
Stevanovski, app developer, came up with the idea for Thrive two years ago. He was trying to sell Koozies, the foam sleeve that holds cups and cans, but didn’t know how to put a logo on them. He reached out to his friends on Facebook but couldn’t find anyone to help. He knew there were a lot of people at UNC Charlotte who could help him, but he didn’t know how to get in touch with them. Stevanovski realized that social media only connects you with people you are already friends with. Thrive is different because it automatically connects you with everyone in the UNC Charlotte community. Human, app developer, says his favorite part of the app is “there is no need to add friends, just other students helping out other students.”
What does the app do?
Thrive can be utilized to ask for recommendations on classes and professors, safely buy and sell items such as textbook or furniture from other students, promote student organizations, seek academic help, or find a last-minute tutor or someone to sublease your apartment.
The app is simple and easy to use. It works similarly to Facebook; you post and people can like and comment. Stevanovski says his favorite part of the app is the different categories that organize the posts, including general, recommendations, job related, academic and housing.
Students have already posted about recommendations for restaurants in Charlotte, job inquiries and fundraiser promotions. The posts received comments on them from other students. You can also direct message a person if you want to get in touch with them about a post. Thrive is similar to the app Nextdoor; however, it is solely for college students.
You might have seen Human and Stevanovski outside Prospector last week giving out free Chick-fil-A to promote Thrive. Students lined up on the sidewalk to get some food and learn more about the app.
Thrive already has over 1,000 UNC Charlotte students connected. While the app is currently only available to Charlotte students, the developers’ dream is to take it to all universities. Whether you are looking for a roommate for next semester, selling a textbook, or promoting an event, Thrive provides a way to be heard. The app is the realization of the unaddressed demand for the untapped supply of knowledge and experience that fellow students can offer.