A New ATL-based Geolocation App is Connecting Professionals. With A New Partnership, It Is Also Helping People In Recovery.
It was a trip down to the Fulton County Courthouse for jury duty that inspired Steven Eppinger’s latest startup, Connector. It was during that grueling sit-and-wait period when awaiting instructions in downtown Atlanta that Eppinger started thinking about ways he could connect with his fellow juror
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Tech Topics In This Article: Atlanta startups, Georgia nonprofits, tech for good, networking
It was a trip down to the Fulton County Courthouse for jury duty that inspired Steven Eppinger’s latest startup, Connector.
It was during that grueling sit-and-wait period when awaiting instructions in downtown Atlanta that Eppinger started thinking about ways he could connect with his fellow jurors around him.
Outgoing by nature, Eppinger just wanted to know who around him was up to chatting. What he needed was a geolocation-based networking app. But in the moment, nothing like that existed that could connect him to nearby professionals.
That’s when his entrepreneurial instincts kicked in. He started working on the startup a year and a half ago and came to market this fall after positive reception from a trade show in Las Vegas.
The app, now available for download from iOS and Android devices, helps users discover genuine nearby professional connections, akin to a “professional SnapMap,” Eppinger added on LinkedIn. Users can make themselves visible when they arrive at a new location — be it something like an airport, a trade show, or a sporting event. The app will also give location-based recommendations about who you might want to meet up with based on the startup’s exclusive patent-pending Value Score technology.
Connecting Those In Recovery
While Connector’s initial target markets include professional events, trade shows, and even social groups like fraternities and sororities, Eppinger soon discovered a surprising new use case: helping individuals in addiction recovery create meaningful connections.
This week, Connector announced a partnership with No Longer Bound, a Georgia-based, 33-year-old nonprofit that provides residential treatment programs and “comprehensive services” for men in addiction. Together, they’ve created a white-labeled version of Connector tailored to support individuals in recovery, thus increasing the odds of maintaining sobriety. The app will enable No Longer Bound’s current residents and alumni to maintain discreet, meaningful connections with their recovery peers, reducing feelings of isolation—a critical factor in preventing relapse.
“We try to give men a tool box full of different tools for different life experiences,” No Longer Bound’s Chief Development Officer Carol Smith, told Hypepotamus. She sees Connector as a valuable tool for relationship building for both alumni of the program — men who are out in the community and the workforce — as well as current residents of the No Longer Bound program.
“Alot of people in addiction treatment say the opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection,” Smith added.
For Eppinger, the No Longer Bound partnership underscores the broader potential of Connector’s technology.
“Our core technology isn't just about making connections at an event, it's about networking and staying connected before, during and after events,” he added. “For No Longer Bound, [Connector] is keeping this brotherhood connected in their kind of lifelong journey through addiction.”
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