Sami Bouhussein, a QUEST alumnus from Cohort 37, is the creator of the RandezVous app. RandezVous finds and recommends activities and events for users, based on their location and interests. His QUEST journey started off with a random encounter. A conversation with a TA from his computer science class, who was in the QUEST program, inspired Bouhussein to explore his interests in business and computer science by applying to QUEST.
Sami Bouhussein (Cohort 37)
For Bouhussein, it was the projects with real companies that gave him the most from his QUEST experience. “Working on multidisciplinary teams, having timelines, having to collaborate—it was a lot more real world to me than the rest of school was.” Bouhussein specifically mentioned that his 490H capstone project, creating a voice app connected to Amazon’s Alexa for health data, was particularly impactful.
One lesson Bouhussein emphasized was pursuing startup ideas in college when surrounded by other motivated people and resources. He mentioned that Startup Shell and the Dingman Center were resources he used at UMD. He started his project two years ago, with the bulk of it being done in the spring of his senior year. He was able to promote his app, network with others, and gain useful advice.
The app idea came to Bouhussein after he met two exchange students who told him about their regular travel and adventures. Bouhussein said that their lives inspired him to get out and do more things. As a native Marylander, he said, “How have these two guys, who have been in the country for two months, been to DC more than I have in my whole life?” Bouhussein added, “There is cool stuff to do in Maryland. We just don’t know about them. We just need somebody to point us in that direction.”
In his own words, RendezVous is “a platform that connects people with things that will make them feel fulfilled afterward. You can go into Google, to TripAdvisor, and a lot of times they’ll give you fancy restaurants. But at the end of the day… Do you really feel great afterward? Compared to the experience of going to a cool museum, of having a once-in-a-lifetime experience, something really memorable.”
Bouhussein cited his concerns about technology becoming overwhelming, and asked, “How can we use technology to bring people back to connecting with each other and the culture, history, and environment?” His goal for the app is for users “to open the app, find something, and then, turn it off and get off of their phones.”
On the app, users are given activities near their current location and can filter the results by activity type. Users can also opt into putting their interests on the app in order to see more personalized activities. Users can view by points of interest or choose to be given random options. Within the app, users can see more details about the activity and can even buy tickets for certain events.
In the future, Bouhussein wants to focus on the communication and social aspects of the app. He said, “Instead of having to create a group chat and texting around people like ‘Hey, are you free?’ The app does that for you.” He also mentioned that based on availability and location, you can locate your friends to do activities with. Additionally, a party of friends will have a group chat and can vote on what to do. Bouhussein also mentioned wanting to improve the recommendation algorithm to give users a better experience and to differentiate the product from doing a Google search.
In his closing thoughts about QUEST, Bouhussein said, “The things you learn are great, but above all else, I think that the people and the connections that you make are worth their weight in gold.” Bouhussein said that to this day, he has QUEST friends who reach out and give suggestions for his app. Said Bouhussein, “It’s like lifelong colleagues. Whenever a QUEST student reaches out… through the QUEST directory, they’ll be welcomed with open arms.” He added, “QUEST students are multidisciplinary, hard-working, and problem-solving people. In every job interview I’ve had, I’ve brought up QUEST.”
His advice for students looking to create their own products is to confirm that they are solving a real problem. Bouhussein said, “First, look if you truly have a problem here. Look if there’s truly a market, look into competitors, and look into feasibility.” Lastly, he says to students “to just get started.” He said to break his ideas down into smaller steps. When he started programming his app, he had no experience with iOS programming and had to teach himself. Bouhussein said, “You can’t be afraid to start or you never will.” Thanks for chatting Sami and everyone be sure to check out the app!