Making meaningful connections is essential to success as well as building your professional network. Well, here’s a quick question. If meeting a mentor, cofounders or investors for your business, a partner for a startup project, or new friends in your industry was as easy as swiping right, would you?

If you are answered yes. You might want to give Shapr a try. Shapr is a fairly new way to meet inspiring new people, shape your life. People use the app to connect with other professionals. Using the app is relatively simple. It only takes a few minutes to download Shapr, sign up (with your email or LinkedIn account), and complete your profile. You can start reviewing profiles immediately.

Unlike other social or networking platforms, after you setup your profile, its smart algorithm goes to work, suggesting people who are match. The app uses your interest, location, and professional experience, for example, to suggests 10 to 15 relevant profiles each day.

There are no unsolicited requests to talk or to hook up. Similar to Tinder, users swipe left or right. Your swipes are anonymous too.  If there’s a mutual interest, you are notified. You decide when you want to meet someone in real life.

Users select four favorite ways to meet, which are visible on their profile. Options include meeting for coffee, lunch, dinner, a voice call or video call, taking a walk, meeting on weekends, for breakfast or after work. Users also share what they are looking for by selecting three options out of nine. The choices are a co-founder, collaborators & talent to hire, funding, freelance projects, ideas & inspiration, job opportunities, mentorship, new friends in town, and potential investments.

I must keep it real with you. Although I had reservations about meeting people online, I downloaded the app a couple of weeks ago after learning about it on Goalcast.

You know, connecting with strangers online can be a bit strange. No matter how perfect a profile might seem, you never truly know who you are actually talking to online.  Therefore, my guard is all the way up. We must stay WOKE!

Although most of the profiles Shapr suggested are interesting, I have not swiped right to meet an inspiring people to shape my life yet. I suppose I have to get my nerves built up (pray for me). Oh… decisions, decisions.

I am hesitant. Many of the “suggested” profiles are out-of-state or not someone I want to meet right now. It would be better if the app suggested more locals. It would be easier to research them prior to reaching out to connect. Anyway, if you don’t see anyone you want to meet, you can sign up for a monthly plan to access more profiles.

Since the free plan limits the number of profiles you can view each day, I suppose I’ll give the app a few more months then decide if it’s a keeper. You never know, if you are reading this, perhaps we might connect on it someday soon.

Until next time, oh btw… I have a few questions:

Have you used Shapr to help grow your professional network? If so, what inspiring people have you met and how have they shaped your life? Hit me up in the comments below.