Name: Adarsh Solanki
Year: 4th year
Major: Computer Science
Claim to Fame: Created the app, “Hoo’s Eating”
In a time where cell phones are a college student’s lifeline, 4th year Adarsh Solanki took the opportunity to make life that much better. With convenience on his mind, Adarsh took all that he knows about technology, and made an app that serves to serve UVA students. If you are ever hungry for some food and meeting new people, Adarsh Solanki has just the app for you.
What was the motivation behind your app?
It was a mixture of things. I saw a niche to be filled, as there was no truly modern form of advertisement for clubs/interest group events. Meanwhile, the leaders of these organizations were stuck with questionably effective ways to garner the attention of students like temporary chalkings on sidewalks
around grounds and easily ignored fliers.
Also, as a college student, I realized the incredible value of being able to find nearby events, as oftentimes it is an easy way to get a bite to eat while also being exposed to new people and groups. As a fourth year student, I sometimeswish I had had an easier way to learn about events around Grounds.
Explain to us a little bit about how it works?
On the app side, students can find nearby events in one of two ways, a list of this week’s events, and a GPS-powered map view, which gives them a sense of where exactly the events are in relation to their phone’s current location.
For organizations, I plan to add (within the next week or so) a form on the website www.hooseating.com to allow people to submit events for approval into the app’s datastore.
Do you have any other applications in the making?
While I always have a few ideas bouncing around in my head, I think my next one may be a way to help students help each other recycle, as I feel there are many people our age who see the importance of recycling, but simply can’t be bothered to put in the effort to figure out exactly how to do so.
I envision an app that allows users to find the right recycling bin for their desired item (plastic water bottle, paper, etc.) and also collaboratively add/edit locations as bins are added and moved around Grounds.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Working to make the world a better place through technology.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is definitely Elon Musk, the South African entrepreneur. For those who aren’t familiar, Musk came across substantial amount of wealth in 2002 by selling his company PayPal. After securing enough cash to live a very, very comfortable lifestyle, he decided to revolutionize space flight
by starting SpaceX, a company which creates rockets to continue space exploration and scientific excavation. Currently they are working on establishing a permanent human presence on the planet Mars.
I have to ask, what is your most embarrassing moment?
I once sent a joking email intended for a friend (with some insanely inappropriate vulgarity and insults) to a contact for a company I was trying to score an internship with. Out of context, and without knowing my sense of humor, the email made me seem immature. Oops. Definitely triple-check the recipient for everything I send now.