We believe the best way to make a friend is to share a fun experience.
Having something in common lowers the social risk associated with meeting someone new. You have something to do. Something to talk about. You have a foundation for trust. You’re kindred spirits.
That’s why we built the Sidekick app based around the concept of a “McGuffin.”
What’s a MacGuffin?
It’s a term we borrowed from the movies. A MacGuffin is anything that propels the action forward. But the qualities of the MacGuffin don’t matter, only that it exists as a catalyst driving the story.
The plans to the Death Star are a MacGuffin. So are the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. For Harry Potter, it’s the Horcruxes. In The Titanic, the necklace is the MacGuffin.
What unites all these movie objects is that their exact nature isn’t important. A MacGuffin, whatever it is, serves as an excuse for all the fun that follows.
It’s what our interns call ‘engineered serendipity.’
Sidekick isn’t social media. It isn’t even a social network. Sidekick is something new – a social catalyst.
Connections based on interests
Sometimes, all we need to make a new friend is an excuse to get together. Shared interests are how we meet. They’re the glue that keep us together.
Making small talk with strangers is no way to begin a relationship. That’s why Sidekick is designed to help people be specific and personal about themselves and their interests.
Focus on real-world platonic relationships
Friendship is just as vital to our health and happiness as romance. But connecting online only takes us so far. There’s no substitute for real-world friends and in-person adventures.
An authentic and positive environment
We don’t try to dissect your personality or control what you see with secret machine algorithms. We don’t reduce you to a photoshopped picture.
Instead, we put you in charge so you can make real connections with real people.