ORLANDO, Fla. – Moving off campus is a rite of passage at University of Central Florida. But leaving the dorms and their built-in social scene can be daunting. When 20-year-old UCF event management student Alexandria Agresta moved into a neighborhood near campus three years ago, her first thought was, “How are you supposed to make friends here?” And then, “Is there an app for that?”
There wasn’t, so she developed one. A professional networking platform, Agresta’s myLoop app is designed to tailor an individual’s online world to create meaningful connections through career and business interests while providing relevant content to the user.
“With my unique problem-solver mentality mixed with my social butterfly personality, myLoop was born,” Agresta said. “I think myLoop will ignite a global disruption in how we interact through technology by applying real-life principles in how we already communicate as humans.”
The app is aimed at “transitionals” meaning those who are transitioning from one stage in their life to another, such as from college to career or from one career to another.
Earlier this semester Agresta’s myLoop took home a $3,000 scholarship and a second place finish at the BizVenture contest in Dallas. Hosted by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, BizVenture is a college-level, three-day comprehensive program on entrepreneurship, design thinking and leadership.
Agresta credits the Blackstone LaunchPad at UCF and the UCF Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) for helping her to launch myLoop. The CEL is provided through UCF College of Business and encourages students from across campus to learn more about how entrepreneurial leadership skills can enhance the value of their disciplinary expertise.
“When myLoop was first came to life, I was fortunate to have Blackstone Launchpad’s free coaching at my fingertips,” said Agresta, who is a student ambassador for the CEL where she helps fellow students get their businesses off the ground. “The Launchpad helped me understand lean methodology and business model canvas–two things that are still main elements of our business today. Now, two years later, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership has provided endless resources such as UI/UX design for our application and a casual yet professional space for business meetings, along with genuine support from coaches, individuals who I now consider mentors.”
Visit myloopapp.com to learn more.