Barnoldswick graduate eyes expansion for student friendship app

A graduate who created an app to help stop students feeling lonely has said it feels amazing to turn her own bad experiences into a positive.

Georgia Wheadon said 30,000 people had signed up to the Umii app, which helps students make friends.

The 26-year-old said its success had been "mind-blowing" and she now wants to expand into other countries.

Miss Wheadon, originally of Barnoldswick in Lancashire, will pitch her app at a global business summit.

The app works by matching fellow students and allowing them to message each other after they have built a profile which includes their university, course and interests.

Miss Wheadon, who now lives in Manchester, said she was inspired after having a bad experience of her own at the University of Leeds, where she "didn't click" with anyone.

It knocked her confidence and took its toll on her mental health to the point where she nearly dropped out, she said.

But it made her determined and as soon as she graduated she set to work on Umii, which is free for students while universities pay a subscription.

She said: "I studied human geography and sociology so it was nothing to do with business, but I got the bug for this because I was so passionate about solving student loneliness."

Miss Wheadon said making friends can be particularly hard for first year students and there can be a stigma about talking about it.

But she added: "If you've met loads of people on Umii before you've even gone to university, when you do go it makes it so much easier."

The University of Hull was the first to sign up to app in March 2020 and 13 others are now on the books.

A spokesman for the University of Bolton said it signed up to help students during the Covid-19 lockdowns but was so impressed, they decided to stick with it.

Miss Wheadon said it was an "amazing feeling" when she hears students talk about the confidence the app has given them.

The business concept is now up for recognition on the international stage with a cash boost of $100,000 up for grabs at a summit which promotes entrepreneurship.

Miss Wheadon will pitch her app to global investors at the TiE Global Summit, held in the Indian city of Hyderabad, this week after winning an entry competition.

She said it was "mind-blowing" how quickly the business had taken off since it began in 2019.

"I remember pinching myself in my mum's bedroom when the first user signed up in 2020," she said.

Two years on and she said flying to India for the summit was "insane".

"It's a great chance to be in front of hundreds of global investors and to connect and learn from business leaders, too," she said.

Does she have any advice for other budding entrepreneurs?

"Yes. Go for it. You might fail but keep pushing and believing," she said.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]