Name: Afraz SiddiquiMajor: Business ManagementYear: SophomoreHometown: Monroe Township, NJ
UNH student creates QuickQast, the app to see and share the world around you anonymously. It is a simple and fun way for college students to anonymously capture pictures and Qast them out to their campus.
When did you come up with the idea for QuickQast and what gave you the idea?I came up with the idea in November of 2014, my first semester at UNH. The idea for QuickQast came from a few different places. I always personally wanted a way to see what was going on around me live and not through the point of view of someone specific. Too many times an event was happening on campus and I found out about it after the fact. I also wanted a way to see what was going on at other campuses and be able to share it.
How did you go about starting it?The simple answer to this question is that I just sat down at my computer and started programming for the website which would later be turned into an app. Don’t tell my parents, but I ended up missing about two weeks of class. All I did was eat, nap, and code. The app was started a few months after the website was up and live. It was obvious that the service had to be available on mobile phone apps because that is what everyone uses. It allows a more connected platform and community.
How and who did you find for your team to help you?I knew that I would be able to build a product, which everyone would enjoy but I had no clue how to market it; enter Jesse. Jesse was introduced to me by a mutual friend and right from the start he argued with me over every little detail from the colors I picked to the font, this is why I knew he’d fit well. We clicked and gained a common vision for the app, as well as a strong belief in its usefulness and brilliance.
Who is your inspiration?My inspiration for a lot that I do is Steve Jobs. Not only was he a very successful businessman, but also he lived his life in a way that I strive to live mine: with an open mind, open heart, and thinking differently. The greatest thing that I’ve learned from him that I think several people overlook is that everything in the world is man made, if you don’t like it, you can change it – that’s where I’ve gotten a lot of my entrepreneurial drive from. His life has bettered the world and changed the way we communicate, entertain ourselves, learn, and so much more. Someone I can’t go without mentioning is Mark Zuckerberg. He took a simple site, Facebook, which connected college students from campus to campus, and turned it into an international application. I see the same for QuickQast.
What is your goal for this?My goal for QuickQast is to become an app for all college students to be able to share what is going on around campus, discover new things, and discuss their opinions, all anonymously. It’ll be for college students to express themselves in anyway without judgment.
Siddiqui wants you to download the app, and post a picture of anything! The gross Bartels dinner you had, your weekend of studying , and that couple that’s making out in the library, post it all and let us know what you think! He loves hearing others opinions about the app! Also, check out the YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWmP1RO4IXLpYdoM4vggEWg.