Smart Phone App Aims to Make Live Connections

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A Brentwood startup wants to help people make connections as more people are turning to their computers to meet friends and love interests.

The company, nProgress, has created a smart phone app called Ntro that people can use to find out if they have the same interests as the strangers sitting next to them in the airport, local coffee shop or other public space.

Josh Resnick, a video game industry veteran who founded nProgress, said the idea for the app came from his interest in meeting people.

“My business partner and I would travel a lot and be in the airport and see people on their phones,” Resnick said. “We realized that if we knew something about a few of those people, we’d want to talk to them. We figured there must be a way to leverage technology and have more real-world moments.”

Ntro is free to download and works like this: A person creates a profile and then lists his top interests. When he goes to a coffee shop, the app will notify him if anyone there also enjoys, say, rock climbing. He can then send the person a message through the app. If the person responds, they can agree to meet.

Ntro relies on a phone’s built-in location technology to find people nearby. It’s one of a number of applications that have recently begun using that technology to help people meet up. The most popular are Facebook Places and Foursquare, which allow people to check in when they arrive at a bar or restaurant. Others include dating app Blendr and meet-up app Mingle.

Resnick acknowledged that in order for Ntro to be a success, it needs a lot of people in one area to sign up. So he started by launching the app only at USC and UC Berkeley. Ntro is now also available in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

“We wanted to focus on just a few cities at a time,” he said.

Resnick said nProgress is not making money from Ntro yet, but noted that the company could eventually sell advertising based on the interests that users list.

“Since we’re connecting people based on their passion, I imagine users would be open to some form of targeted advertising,” he said.

Interlink Split

Interlink Electronics Inc. is looking to increase the value of its publicly traded shares by completing a reverse stock split this week.

The Camarillo sensor technology company plans to reduce its shares by 20 to 1, which would drive up stock value. Interlink, which trades on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the symbol “LINK,” had 14.6 million shares when it announced the reverse stock split last month.

Steven Bronson, chief executive of the 55-person company, said Interlink is looking to improve its image with potential customers and investors.

“There’s a perception that potential customers have when they look at a low-priced stock even though it doesn’t reflect the financial condition of the company,” he said. “In addition, the financial community tends to shy away from stocks that trade under $5.”

Interlink designs and manufactures sensors for products including laptop mouse pads, video game controllers and agricultural machinery. In July, the company signed a contract to sell mouse pads for Panasonic’s Toughbook line of laptops.

Bronson joined Interlink in 2010 to help turn around the nearly 27-year-old company.

“Today we’re focused on growing the business and putting in the necessary pieces to build a solid foundation,” he said. “Our goal is taking a business that historically has lost money and getting it back into the black.”

The company last year reported a third quarter net loss of $180,000 on revenue of $1.14 million, compared with a net loss of $277,000 on revenue of $2.22 million in the same period of 2010.

Hiring Notes

Pasadena cloud technology company Central Desktop has appointed Dhruba Kalita as vice president of engineering. Kalita was previously founder and chief technology officer at FoodLink, a Los Gatos software company that specializes in the food industry. … Smart Action Co., a Playa del Rey call automation company, has hired Peter Celeste as executive vice president of sales and marketing, and Michael Vanca as vice president of operations. Celeste was previously an executive with Santa Monica online advertising firm Oversee.net and Vanca previously founded two technology companies.

Staff reporter Natalie Jarvey can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 230.

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