Meet Bryan Richman, creator of Sharedspark, Bucknell’s very own dating website! This daring and brilliant senior is destined to be the next Mark Zuckerbeg with his revolutionary dating website that aims to spice things up on campus and help us single, yet hopeful Bucknellians “escape the friendzone.” Learn more about Bryan below and make sure to sign up for Sharedspark (we know you all secretly want to) and get flinging – you never know the person of your dreams may be feeling the same way.
1. How did you come up with the idea for Sharedspark? What were the challenges while creating the application?
Last summer, a friend and I were feeling creative and were brainstorming ideas for businesses we could start. We pondered truths of human nature. Let’s face it. We want to know if the people we find attractive also feel the same way about us. Why not build something that got straight to the point? Our first big challenge was finding a developer to help us take our mockups and turn them into something real. Our next challenge was keeping up the momentum we had after winning the 2012 Business Pitch Competition. That was hard to do since I went abroad during the spring semester.
2. What do you hope the students of Bucknell gain from Sharedspark? What do YOU hope to gain from Sharedspark?
I hope to spice things up on campus between hundreds of students. If “shared a spark” becomes a term at Bucknell, I’ll be satisfied. Personally, I’ve already gained an incredible amount from launching the site. Taking a silly idea and actually making it into something that people can use is a pretty satisfying experience. It has definitely helped me see what I can achieve if I set my mind to it. I’ve also gained some first-hand startup experience that will come in handy for the next business I launch down the road.
3. When you began, what visions did you have for Sharedspark? What hopes/goals do you have for it now?
I originally envisioned sharedspark to be a movement as popular as Tinder…until Tinder came out. That was a frustrating day. But Tinder’s success proves that there is something there. I still believe sharedspark can find a niche in the college dating market. In the future, we are planning on focusing more on the Date side of things than the Fling side. We have some exciting features in the pipeline.
4. Do you plan on expanding Sharedspark to other college campuses?
That’s the plan. “Escape the Friendzone” is too good of a slogan to contain.
5. Have you, yourself, been “flung”?
Yes.
6. Where does Sharedspark fit into your post-graduate plans?
I’d like it to be my post-graduate plan. If that doesn’t work out, it might help me get another job.
7. Favorites:
Memory at Bucknell: Winning the Business Pitch Competition and celebrating instead of studying for my exam the next morning
Class Taken at Bucknell: MGMT 101 With Professor Hiller
Spot on Campus: Chi Phi
Meal at Bucknell: Pastarific. The lady who makes it and I definitely share a spark.
8. 4 Fun Facts:
1. I’m a talented lyricist and rapper who has been featured on iTunes.
2. I dressed up as a Backstreet Boy and sang “I Want it That Way” by myself in front of 1,200 employees of a company I interned for. Legend status around the office after that.
3. Yes I’ve used Tinder. Yes I’ve met up with a match. Yes we went for an afternoon stroll in London and visited Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.
4. I studied abroad in Granada, Spain and won’t shut up about it.
– Olivia Malvisi