Jonathan L. Hasson and Lara Varjabedian, serial entrepreneurs and co-founders of UBQT, explain the vision and strategy behind creating their groundbreaking app. They also share insight on why a key part for them was to respect their users’ privacy and make the navigation on the tool very easy.
“Data is often used to send curated targeted ads to users. At UBQT, we wish to avoid all that noise, including advertising. We are not here to sell you something; our mission is to keep the noise out of the app, ensure a seamless experience and ultimately enable you to reconnect with your tribe in real life,” said Jonathan Hasson, co-founder and CEO of UBQT.
How it is different from other apps
Busy schedules between work and family make booking a dedicated time with people challenging. UBQT is changing that as it allows to go straight to the point of setting a time in the calendar with a contact by blocking an exact date and location, months in advance or on the spur of the moment, without being bombarded by endless social media content or conversations.
Thanks to location-based features, UBQT is helping its growing tribe, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and globally, to catch up IRL (in real life) when they are near each other or travelling to the same city, thus helping them re-connect on a professional or personal level.
Even though the initial connection is made through the app, the idea is to spend as little time as possible and encourage people to put the social aspect at the centre of their social interactions.
Unique features for less screen time and more lifetime
People are very busy and have less time for social interactions, and current social media encourages virtual connections rather than in-person ones. UBQT is the solution to help build new memories and overcome loneliness, too. The idea is very simple: to help people reconnect with contacts of their choice. One of the most frustrating things about our social media behaviour is to have many connections, most of which are meaningless and superficial.
Being bombarded constantly by an extreme amount of information makes it very challenging to navigate such tools, and many users miss important real-life events. With UBQT, this will not happen anymore.
2024 is a year when discussions on artificial intelligence and new technology will only increase as people navigate what new tools can do and their associated risks. UBQT’s technology is embedded in innovation and the great things it has to offer. It plans to continue to improve features and offer more options depending on each user’s needs, which may include elements of gamification as well as travel tech features – always in line with the philosophy of digital minimalism.
UBQT’s mission is to be a transparent app with transparent communication, and the team is very clear on the fact that they do not sell their users’ data. People should have full visibility and control over how their data is used.
