They Call Me the Seekr

Have you ever thought “there should be an app for that?” This was the thought in my head when I was shuffling through 60 hours of footage I shot while traveling on Semester at Sea as a student. My goal at the time was to produce a film about fly fishing in far off places and tell the stories about the food, culture and people I experienced along the way. As I cut the trailer …

I thought to myself; “There should be a way to connect all these people and experiences to share it all.” I felt a need to share more than fly fishing. I had made meaningful connections with so many different people, places and cultures. How could I share all of these experiences in a way that allows others access the same emotions these stories evoked for me?

There should be an app for that!

Granted, this was 2006 so mobile applications were still a new thing, I had a vision of a website that allowed user generated content such as videos, images, people and cultural knowledge to be organized by location, type and accessible to all. Needless to say, I had enough faith in the idea to put the film on the back burner. Fast forward 8 years and the idea evolved into much more.

A Design Thinking Foundation

I started taking classes at BDW starting in the Fall of 2013. I was exposed to an entirely new way of thinking and tackling problems. I developed a foundation built around design thinking. The following Spring I acted as the Semester at Sea Videographer. This gave me the opportunity to use the tools I had learned and test my hypothesis: If a platform enables travelers to connect to locals who offer unique experiences then travelers will be inclined to seek new experiences. Additionally, locals will be empowered to share their culture, knowledge and passions.

Loink is now Seekr

After returning to Colorado I also returned to BDW. The design thinking foundation continued to grow while one of the most important skills I acquired was how to learn. The digital world changes so fast good design needs to be congruent with the latest technology, trends and guidelines. I came to BDW to learn how to start a business but along the way I have grown a newly sparked interest in the role design plays into everything. The cornerstone to compelling design is collaboration. Collaboration is impossible with out the right people. I am lucky to now have 4 member’s join the mission. These four super talented individuals have helped take the idea, apply the BDW skillset, at run with it. The team and I have updated the name from Loink to Seekr. (A good startup name supposedly sounds good when said (or growned out loud) while in bed)

Why?

Semester at Sea provided an array of experiences that completely transformed my perspective. This new understanding of the world allowed me to more purposely live my own life. This is the goal of Seekr, to create an ecosystem where off the beaten path experiences are driven by purposeful human to human connections. These connections enable travelers to FEEL the places they visit. This feeling is powerful. It has the ability to transform perspectives and revitalized self purpose. We at Seekr, firmly believe that individuals who experience the world through a completely different lens allow themselves to mold more meaning into their own lives.

How?

With a clear mission the big question is how. How will Seekr fulfill its mission to empower purpose? At this point we are still developing exactly how Seekr will work. Travel is powerful and we aim to enable experiences that have impact.

I am currently a student in BDW’s 50 week program.

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This post supports my mission to empower people to get out and immerse themselves within the things that drive their purpose and passions.