ThoughtX

?? DO NOT LET ANXIETY STOP YOU FROM OPPORTUNITIES ?? public speaking is terrifying. however, both co-founders have to frequently remind themselves that missing out on opportunities due to anxiety will cost more than the stress (and downright shaking ?? ) right before an event. this is a life lesson that is important for all entrepreneurs and people in general. if you want to build something or give an amazing presentation, the biggest hurdle is yourself. ?? now...what inspired this little motivational speech? ThoughtX was excited to represent itself at the Toaster Innovation Hub for BizPitch Fall 2024. Ilana Andrev gave a 90-second elevator pitch on the company to a panel of investors and entrepreneurs in exchange for feedback. a huge congratulations ?? to Bjorn Franke for winning the big check and to all of the other entrepreneurs! while Ilana looked poised up there, she was shaking from the nerves ?? . she even talked to the other entrepreneurs and apparently, everyone shook as they presented. but the difference is, we still presented. even with the pounding heart, the clammy hands, and the dry throat. we pushed through. and THAT is ultimately what separates regular people from entrepreneurs. regular people get scared and quit. entrepreneurs feel the fear and do it anyway. this is just the beginning for ThoughtX. ?? we are so excited about what's to come. #feelthefear #podcastcommunity #startupfounder #newsocialmediaapp

remember those Buzzfeed quizzes that would say what kind of person you are? don't look at me like that ??... we all took at least one ??. while we are not Buzzfeed, we made a quiz for podcast listeners (aka YOU!) one of our main goals as a startup is to understand WHAT podcast listeners are like and what they want from our app. so, we made a super fun and short quiz for you to take! ?? the quiz questions will not just give you a "podcast archetype," but be useful information for us to make our app and features better! the ?2-minute quiz? can be found underneath your profile, by clicking the link on our linktree (linktr.ee/thoughtx), or by directly clicking in our website (https://lnkd.in/g3wAbXGV). thank you in advance for taking it! we appreciate every single response ?? #thoughtx #startupcompany #podcastcommunity #podcastfans #techstartup #newsocialmediapp

so....why podcasts? ????? we have gotten this question SO MUCH from mentors, users, or just random people. why connect people over podcasts? why not just do what the other "connection apps" do? base it on profile, appearance, location, hobbies, etc. while our "matching" algorithm will have some components of location and hobbies (we are still working on this algorithm ??), we want to base connections mostly on the podcasts you listen to. why? because podcasts say A LOT about a person. it can not only reveal to you the person's interests, but also hobbies, career goals, culture, sense of humor, and more. the two co-founders of ThoughtX first bonded over listening to the same podcasts, and we want to give that same experience to others. imagine meeting someone that you always want to talk with because you listen to the same stuff! ??? there are always new episodes to discuss or recommendations to give. we hope that you are as excited about ThoughtX as we are. if you are, please download our app (?? Apple and Google Play Stores) and start giving us feedback. you can find our emails on our website, or DM us through LinkedIn or Instagram. as we always say, this app was built for other people. not ourselves. #womenintech #podcastcommunity #podcast #socialapp #startupapp

what does it take to create a sexy app? ???? a lot of iterations. sketches, discussions, and constantly thinking about how a new user interacts with Thoughtx. as you’ll see in the photos, the design starts off as a sketch on a tablet—we’ve got endless ideas saved! then, it’s coded, tested, and launched. yes, Thoughtx helps you find friends who listen to the same podcasts. yes, it has cool features for sharing and saving podcasts. but our job isn’t just to add features; it’s to build a beautiful experience. ?THE LOOK? matters. why focus so much on "THE LOOK"? ?? because we believe marketing starts with design. an app needs to be fun to look at and easy to use. plus, if we want to compete with massive social platforms, we’ve got to look even better. ?? ?? make sure to download our latest update! we’re rolling out more UI improvements over the next few weeks. #womenintech #socialmediaapp #socialstartup #socialentrepreneur #podcastcommunity

if you are wondering where we were...well, we got cold feet ??. we did ghost LinkedIn for a little bit to focus on what was most important to us...our mission. we decided that we are going to focus solely on connecting people who listen to the same podcasts. for a few months we thought we would focus on books and music...and then pulled back. it was too much, too fast, and like your situationship, we were not ready to commit ?? as Shrek said: we all have layers like an onion ???. maybe one of those layers is your love for podcasts. we want to pull that back and help you find the people that would be the ?? to your ogre. one that you could talk to for hours about the most recent episode. so cheers to the next few months of app improvement! we are excited to be dialing in and focusing on what is important to us. see you on the app ?? #thoughtx #connectionapp #podcastcommunity #startupapp #newsocialmediaapp

can (baby ???? ) startup founders even offer any advice? last week, we (Ashley Lauren and Ilana Andrev) were invited to talk on a student startup panel at the?University of Minnesota's Entrepreneurship Club. we were joined by?Simeon Shaffar (founder of Xygos) and Taylor Stoddart (founder of Prosperum LLC). it was a bit nerve-wracking for us since, as such young startup founders... ?? would we even have any advice to share with the entre club members? not going to brag, but we think all of the panelists- ourselves included- had great advice. everyone shared their "why" for starting, how they balance school and building a company, and some raw advice on the realities of being an entrepreneur. ?? here are all the pieces of advice the founders shared: - having a strong "why" beyond money. - as a college student, now is the best time to start a startup...aka the "nothing to lose" mentality. - use all the resources the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship and the U of MN provides! if you are at a different college, search for the resources they provide. - you learn as you go. you will not have it all figured out. - get really good mentors to help you. - your schedule should reflect your priorities. MAKE time for what you want. it was a blast speaking to our fellow peers and it was even more fun to get to know the other panelists! in regards to ThoughtX itself, we are continuing to make app improvements and customer-discovery fit. lots of new things coming soon so stay tuned ?? #studententrepreneurs #universityofminnesota #entrepreneurpanel #startupfounders

yesterday, the two founders of ThoughtX, Ashley Lauren and Ilana Andrev decided to do the gritty work of marketing ????. not the easy social media marketing or advertising online, but putting boots on the ground at our own college campus (the U of MN). after purchasing 500 stickers, 300+ popsicles, a wagon, and some other fun swag, we had our first ThoughtX "campus outreach night." we wheeled ourselves around campus, handing out popsicles, stickers, and telling people about ThoughtX. it was an amazing friday night, and we met some really cool people! if you are one of those people from yesterday... thanks for following us on this journey and reading this post. it means a lot ???? we are not scared of getting our hands dirty and facing our customers/users face to face ??. we want this to be the best social media app ever, meaning we are going to constantly be putting ourselves out there. we will be around campus throughout the next few weeks to hand out even more popsicles/stickers (we may have bought too much), so keep your eyes peeled ?? and if you have not downloaded ThoughtX... WHAT ARE U DOING?!?! ?? ?? get it on your phone right now and start connecting over the content you already consume. #thoughtx #socialconnectionapp #socialmediaapp #newsocialmediaapp #socialentrepreneurs #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #womenintech #podcastcommunity #marketingIRL

we have been MIA from our normal posting schedule ?? because we have been busy with new things in the ThoughtX pipeline...and the company is founded/run by two college students who also happened to have their first week of school. anyways, to remind you of our existence and also try and convince you to download our app (if you haven't already...link in bio to download! ??) I am showing off a sneak peak of our snazzy new storefront (the first photo, not the other three ??) this new storefront will be on Google or Apple, so take a look there! I also genuinely have a crush on Mickey, so he gets to be a user ??. also, if you are a student at the U of MN, Twin Cities, you may see flyers that look VERY similar to the new storefront. keep those eyes OPEN! ?? Mickey also gets his own memes! new updates will be rolling out within the next week! we can't wait to get connecting with you. #podcastcommunities #podcastcommunityapp #podcastcommunity #bookcommunity #booktokcommunity #connectionapp #newsocialmediaapp

ThoughtX memes...in baby yoda style ?? we have been hard at work rolling out new updates on our app. we want to be your go-to app for finding friends during the school year & all year long. some of the most recent updates are AI-generated questions to help you reflect on the content you consumed & better UI for you. we still have lots of updates in the coming weeks so be sure you are updating your app! oh and enjoy the memes ?? #socialentrepreneur #podcastcommunity #bookcommunity #womenfounded #techstartup #newsocialmediaapp #babyyodamemes

what kind of summer did the company pets have? did they have a "demure & mindful" approach to summer ???, or were they in their "brat summer" era? ???? **hint: if you need to get up to speed on the current trends on social media. having a "demure, mindful, cutesy" approach to makeup, outfits, or anything else means being reserved and not too flashy. on the other hand, having a BRAT SUMMER means accepting your imperfections while embracing the chaos. being messy, sometimes being rude, and just living life.** we at ThoughtX love our pets! they help us get work done and are honestly, therapy animals. thank them for their service ?? sputnik ??, the newest addition to Ashley Lauren's life, has been enjoying her demure and mindful summer. she quietly debugs code, and just loves being cutesy. she appreciates ThoughtX and being so classy, she already downloaded it and easily found friends! sunny ??, Ilana Andrev's old grandpa dog (that she still calls a puppy ??) was in his BRAT SUMMER ERA. he enjoyed wrecking chaos, pretending he was hungover, and trying to make friends with all the wrong dogs. he kept complaining about having no friends who liked the same bones as he did. but sunny did not even TRY to download ThoughtX ??. he just became brattier. so, hopefully, you take some inspiration from Sputnik. if you are having your BRAT SUMMER, let's find a classier way to make friends rather than small talk. ThoughtX is here to help you get connected via content you already consume! ?? download anywhere you get your apps from! #bratsummer #verydemure #socialmediatrends #podcastcommunity #newsocialmediaapp