New Android app to make schmoozing at events a breeze

7 Nov 2011

Shhmooze co-founder Michelle Gallen

Northern Ireland start-up Shhmooze has launched its professional networking app for Android devices. The app, already available for the iPhone, aims to bring networking into the digital age, via real-time messaging, for instance.

Shhmooze, which is based at Northern Ireland Science Park, draws on location-based technology to help professionals connect with the right people in real time during conferences and meet-ups. Via the app, the company has developed a real-time messaging system to make arranging a face-to-face chat easier.

To date, Shhmooze has partnered with more than 100 events, including Learning Without Frontiers, Dublin Web Summit and Mobile Monday.

Despite the onslaught of Skype and videoconferencing, people still like the human connection when it comes to networking and forging alliances. In Ireland, think of the Open Coffee movement, for example.

The Shhmooze app works by allowing delegates at conferences to use their mobile devices to ‘check into’ a business event, make themselves known, advertise their skills, and find the people they need, or the people who need them, quickly.

Shhmooz is aiming to revolutionise the way we network face to face, capitalising on smart tech

Shhmooze is aiming to revolutionise the way we network face-to-face, capitalising on smart tech

Having enjoyed success in the iPhone market, Shhmooze won ‘Best Irish App of the Year’ at the 2010 Belfast App Circus and was selected as one of the world’s ’20 Best Mobile Apps of the Year’ at the 2011 Mobile Premier Awards in Barcelona at this year’s Mobile World Congress.  

Shhmooze is also finalist for Best Mobile Startup in Europe at TechCrunch’s The Europas. The company has also beaten more than 600 other start-ups worldwide to become a semi-finalist at LeWeb’11 Start-up Competition, Europe’s premier tech event.

Conference attendees can download the app for free for Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Event organisers can also contact the company to set up their event on Shhmooze for free.

Speaking this afternoon, Shhmooze co-founder Michelle Gallen said while networking is the prime reason most people go to conferences, many also find it a challenge.

“The Shhmooze app makes it really quick and easy to identify the three or four persons you should really be engaging with.”

Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP)

NISP director of corporate real estate and facilities, Mervyn Watley, said today that the science park in Belfast is burgeoning into a real hub of social media activity.

“More and more tech companies are relocating to the science park to take advantage of our high-fibre network,” said Watley.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

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