NZ entrepreneur launches “Tinder for activities”
9 November 2017
Forget finding your dream date; a new New Zealand-made app has launched today to match users to their dream experience.
Free app Romer has been dubbed the “Tinder for activities” as it lets users swipe left or right on options for dining,
drink spots, and a plethora of outdoor adventures.
Conceived and founded by 22-year-old Christchurch entrepreneur Emily Heazlewood, Romer integrates with Facebook to allow
users to make plans with friends.
Instead of suggesting a restaurant, bar, or general activity, Romer activities are specific: a particularly delicious
dish or drink at a café, a scenic walking track, the best spot on a beach to watch the sunset — or even a helicopter
flight piloted by Richie McCaw.
Users can suggest adventures — named Romes — for others to enjoy. Successfully uploaded ideas are credited to the user
who submitted them, and Romes which are liked, by the user swiping right, are stored in a user’s profile for future
reference. If the user’s friends also like the same activity, the app makes it easy for groups to organise to do them
together.
Heazlewood says she decided to create Romer to take the difficulty out of arranging plans and activities with friends
and to help foster more shared unique experiences between people.
“Millennials get a bad rap for being more disconnected than ever before, despite having more tools available to us to
communicate with each other,” she says.
“So much of what happens online stays online. I wanted to create a platform that gets people out there doing stuff with
each other and encourages them to discover new things.”
“Romer helps people discover more than just a place; they discover a must-do experience.”
Heazlewood says Romer is also about connecting people beyond their immediate friends.
“We also are all about people uploading their must-try suggestions for others to experience so you don’t have to hear
just your friends’ suggestions.
“This can be anything from a picnic in the park, trying a special menu item at a restaurant, or even watching the sunset
from a secluded beach.”
Romer also provides opportunities for businesses to advertise their must try experiences - as long as they have some
Rome-worthy adventures for users, that is.
Available for free download via the App Store - and coming to Google Play soon - Romer covers all of New Zealand and
Heazlewood hopes to take the app to other countries soon.
ENDS