Bryan González, Jonathan Rosado and Gabriel Nieves are thrill and adventure seekers at heart. After exploring many of the hidden treasures of Puerto Rico, they asked themselves why these places weren’t recorded for the benefit of the general public–and that is how they got the idea to create Spotin. The application is designed for an easy and intuitive experience where users can simply log in with their Facebook account and gain instant access to all the coolest spots in Puerto Rico. All the spots are catered towards ecotourism and natural treasures such as waterfalls, rivers, hidden beaches, kayaking routes and other adventurous activities.
We caught up with Bryan González, one of the founders of this student-run startup company, for their scoop on the journey to the app’s final release:
Bryan González, far left, with Laura and Gabriel, two of the Spotin interns.
Who are the Spotin team members?
The team is comprised of three founders: Jonathan Rosado and Gabriel Nieves, who study Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. Both Gabriel and Jonathan take care of all the coding and software development for the application. I study Electrical Engineering at UPRM, and my main job in the team is public relations, social media management and networking.
A couple of months ago, we also welcomed three interns into our team: Gabriel Pacheco, a Chemical Engineering major at UPRM, who is in charge of user experience; Laiana Lugo Santori, a Psychology major at UPRM, who takes care of our graphic design and is also our blog editor; and Laura Irizarry, also Chemical Engineering major at UPRM, is our photographer.
How did you come up with the idea to design this application? How did the team come together to create the end result?
Gabi and I used to go on the weekends and hang out in cool, natural spots around the island. We always asked ourselves why there wasn’t an app with all these places recorded. That’s when the idea of the Spotin app was born. We wanted to build a product that would provide all the necessary information to go out on adventures while being eco-conscious. Jonathan joined our team as our ideal back end developer and we each assumed a role. Our combined work helped us reach the completion of our product.
How long did it take to build and design the app?
It took us three to four months to completely design and code the application and finally release it to the app store for the world to use. It was an incredible journey of growth and learning.
What is in store for the future? What can users expect in the next few updates?
There are many exciting things in store for the future. Our first update has already been released with the Bucket List feature, which allows users to save spots they would like to visit in the future. We are also developing more updates to include check in features and more user interactions to facilitate adventure and roadtrip planning. Our technology is focused on providing the most unique, hidden and remote natural places the island has to offer. We want to expose the island to tourists from all over the world and have them visit our beautiful piece of paradise.
If you would like to get involved with Spotin, follow them on Facebook for more information. They announce all cleanup and adventure road trips with at least two weeks notice. You call also check out their website and download their app, now available through the App Store.