Meet Robert Gillett and Marc Howland, two young Brown University grads who created an exciting new mobile app called weCliq that brings the selfie to life. We had the opportunity to chat with Rob and Marc about their entrepreneurial journey into the app universe.
How did the concept for weCliq come about?
The concept for weCliq has evolved dramatically from an original experience Rob had while spending time playing professional football in Italy. He was in an unknown environment, there were language barriers and he did not know anyone besides his teammates. Naturally, he and his teammates were looking to go out and mingle, yet they weren’t entirely comfortable approaching random women in bars in a foreign country. They joked that there HAD to be an easier way to connect with people they didn’t already know in their immediate vicinity. Later that year, he was home in Los Angeles with a few friends and one individual proposed that the group take a selfie before going out. Rob interjected, “It can’t be a selfie if we are all in the photo.” “Then what is it?” Rob’s friend asked. “It’s a Groupie!” Everyone laughed, but at this time, Rob began to marry two lines of thought. What if there was a way to leverage in-the-moment photos we take on a daily basis to connect with others nearby? After not being able to find an existing product on the market, Rob decided he was going to create one himself.
You both recently graduated from Brown University. Rob, when did your entrepreneurial side merge with your traditional education? Currently, what are your favorite start-up tech companies and who do you emulate?
At Brown, I chose to major in mechanical engineering. I love solving problems. To me, becoming an entrepreneur was a natural extension of what I am passionate about, building things. Some of my favorite start-up tech companies include Snapchat and Instagram. They took very simple concepts and created intuitive platforms that users love. That is what I aspire to do.
Your app weCliq focuses on meeting fun people in an immediate area for real-time hangouts. weCliq app users post selfies and groupies as intros. Tell us more about this concept. Can it be used for any age group?
The concept is very simple. Snap a photo (Selfie or Groupie). Match with others nearby. Meet up now. Our app promotes the spontaneous nature of life by using live photos as the means of connecting. We think this is ideal for college students and young professionals who don’t like to do a lot of planning when trying to have fun. At the same time, our product can certainly be considered age agnostic. Who doesn’t love to meet new people nearby?
You guys are considered innovative virtual-social influencers. Do you see a more progressive tech meet-up evolution trending in our near future?
The world is becoming increasingly mobile and people are becoming more willing to meet each other online. Millennials additionally demand instant gratification. We are capitalizing on these trends by providing instant connectivity to people nearby online via live photos.
Aside from being creative app developers, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
We played college football together, so naturally, we both love football. Outside of sports, the team is also passionate about community service and philanthropy. Rob is passionate about giving back to the Los Angeles community that he grew up in. He is an active member of Framp Camp, an organization that is geared towards bettering youth in the inner-city both academically and athletically. So far, Framp Camp has assisted in getting hundreds of young men into college. Marc served as co-chair of the junior board for a non-profit focused on fighting the cycle of intergenerational involvement in the criminal justice system. He also recently competed in (and earned the title Top Male Athlete in the 20-29 Division) the Wall Street Decathlon, which has raised over $5M for pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
In a nutshell, what is your core philosophy on being a successful entrepreneur?
Our core philosophy rests on improving the lives of others. To us, being successful means creating a product that makes our friends’ lives a little more enjoyable.
What else is new and exciting in your world these days?
Our goal is to take the NYC market by storm. NYC has over 4 million millennials, our target demographic. We also feel the summer time is prime, as the weather is nice and individuals are looking to have fun, mix and mingle with others nearby. We feel our app will add the most value to consumers when there is a sufficient network effect, so bringing people together via events is a great way to both introduce people to our product and show people a good time.
What appeals to you about the tech and social marketplace?
Rapid evolution. The environment is constantly changing, which makes the world exciting. We are continuously finding new and innovative ways to connect and communicate, which serves to enhance our day-to-day lives.
What were the challenges/roadblocks to getting this launched?
Every day is a challenge. You begin a project with a hypothesis and work to prove out that hypothesis. Along the way, we realized that various assumptions were incomplete or incorrect, which brought us back to the drawing board. It takes many iterations to get to an end product. We learned it is critical to listen to the market, even when the market tells us things we don’t want to hear.
What kept you motivated when challenges presented themselves?
We stay motivated because we know that we are trying to fix a painpoint — efficiently and smoothly connecting with others nearby — by creating a product that we ourselves want to use. We are our own target market, which excites us. Our end goal is to provide the best means of enabling people to connect for spontaneous hangouts.
What do you envision the future to be like for the weCliq app?
We envision the weCliq app being the Go-To app people use to connect with people nearby. Our app promotes the spontaneous nature of life by using live photos as the means of connecting. We think this is ideal for college students and young professionals who don’t like to do a lot of planning when trying to have fun. Our app is very simple. Snap a photo. Match with others nearby. Meet up now.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
You will never be great unless you are prepared to make mistakes in the process. Challenge yourself to take on challenging projects and go outside of your comfort zone, because that is when we grow the most.
Did you have people doubting you along the way? How did you turn deterrents into progress?
While at Brown, professors initially doubted Rob’s ability to pursue an engineering degree while being a varsity athlete. Rob dual-majored in engineering and economics while fulfilling pre-med requirements and being a defensive captain on the football team.
When Marc entered high school at 4’10” 98 lbs, there was probably no one in the world who thought he would later become the starting varsity running back and captain of the track team. To him, being the underdog was extremely motivating. He learned to work harder than the next person. Tenacity would help him overcome any obstacle.
What would you like young men to know today?
Be your own man and make an impact on the world. Set goals and be persistent in achieving those goals. Complacency is our greatest enemy.
What would you tell young people who are thinking of venturing into the app world?
I would tell people the same thing whether they are looking to get into any industry — humble yourself and be prepared to be wrong. But do not let being wrong discourage you. Success takes time, failure, intense work ethic and a little bit of luck.
Download weCliq by Groupies Inc. here, and keep up with them on Twitter and Instagram.
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