Designation Detr@it

Sharing Plans from page 3

holders. UpTo allows the shar-
ing of social interactions across
networks.
The calendar is one of the
most popular and often-used
functions on today's smart
phones, but existing calendar
apps only allow users to see
their own events and invite
others to events.
UpTo is novel in that it also
allows users to see their
friends' events and share
those events with relevant
groups. It also integrates
with social networks, mak-
ing it possible to share
future events to Facebook
and Twitter, comment
on friends' future events
and see which days oth-
ers might be available
for meetings and get-
togethers.
UpTo also has a
feature for tagging events to
share with a specific group within
the app. For example, adding an
event like a child's annual doc-
tor checkup might be tagged for
sharing with one's immediate
family group. If one makes plans
for dinner with a high school
classmate in town for the week-
end, that future event might be
shared with a group of fellow
classmates to create a larger
reunion.
The app also features a "heat
map" showing how busy friends
are on certain days (red for a
calendar-packed day, green for a
light day and white for an open
schedule).

No Stranger To Apps

Before UpTo, the Birmingham
Seaholm High School and Univer-
sity of Michigan graduate was no
stranger to the mobile applica-
tions industry. Schwartz founded
Moba-tech in 2002, where he
brought to market the popu-
lar Mobile Checkbook, Mobile
Bartender and Datepedia mobile
apps.
Before moving back to Michigan
from New York City, Schwartz
worked as director of digital busi-
ness and product development
for Warner Music Group, where
he executed strategic partner-
ships with leading mobile service
providers.
After coming up with the idea
for the mobile app, Schwartz put
together his team, which includes
Chris Kaufman, David Webber
and Matthew Piccinato. The four
co-founders spent three months
planning stage and had a soft
launch of the app in March. In

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A screenshot of
the UpTo app

October 2011, they closed a seed
round of venture capital funding
from Detroit Venture Partners and
Ludlow Ventures. UpTo operates
out of the M@dison Building in
Downtown Detroit.
"UpTo has the potential to be
the next disruption in social me-
dia and could become as ubiq-
uitous as Twitter or Facebook,"
said Josh Linkner, Detroit Venture
Partner's managing partner. "It
is an incredible company led by
driven entrepreneurs, and we're
excited to have the opportunity to
contribute to their success."
The UpTo app is currently avail-
able on iOS for Apple iPhones and
iPads (available for download in
the App Store), but Schwartz says
plans for an Android-compatible
version and a Web-based version
are under way and expected this
summer.
No doubt that coordinating
Shabbat dinners, rides to concerts
and plans for post-event parties
will be much easier to plan in the
future with UpTo. As co-founder
Webber put it, "UpTo creates a ser-
endipitous moment that wouldn't
have happened before. It's like
purposeful serendipity."

Rabbi _Jason Miller is an
entrepreneurial rabbi and
technology expert. He is
president of Access Computer
Technology in West Bloom field.
Read his blog at http://blog.
rabbijason.com and follow him
on Twitter @rabbijason.

Qukkentoans-
Engineered to Amaze-

May 17 a 2012

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