Do you care to join me for lunch?

Dubai: How many of you use your lunch breaks productively? Most of us often end up having lunch with the same set of colleagues every day. How about furthering your business interests by networking over lunch?
A new app has been released in Dubai, LunchMatcher, which facilitates the process of professional matchmaking over a lunch break. An alternative to speed networking events organized across the city, the app picks a match based on your LinkedIn profile and in your proximity. Once you confirm the lunch appointment, you could choose from a bevy of restaurants in your vicinity.
"We see a lot of people walking around in our office area. There is no easy way to approach someone and find out where they work, what they do and get to know them more. We all have a lunch hour which is not being used in the right way. Instead of sitting with the same colleagues all the time, it is better if we use that time to meet someone new and create a new connection," says Aiman Kabli, co-founder at LunchMatcher.
A tech entrepreneur, Kabli quit his corporate career in human resources (HR) to follow his passion. He had stints in firms such as Unilever, the International Monetary Fund and Emirates airline.
The LunchMatcher app was released for Android phones in October 2015 and Apple users in early December. Although the app currently has over 500 users in Dubai, the promoters are focusing on 200 of them as a beta testing group.
Where it works best
The app is a perfect fit for a condensed environment with a thriving lunch culture, such as the DIFC, Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City.
So, who is currently using the app? "They are mostly in positions of business development, client management and sales. We also have heads of business [CEOs of small business]. Some people are in HR, others are job seekers," Kabli informs.
This is how LunchMatcher works. The app pulls details from your LinkedIn profile, such as your picture, name, job title and the company you work for. The app will pick a restaurant where the two people will meet, the time and the phone number of the person and restaurant so you can manage the logistics. You can call the person if he is running late or call the restaurant to find out where it is.
The promoters plan to customize the app further this year. LunchMatcher will soon be integrated with the booking system so that the app can book a table at the chosen restaurant on your behalf.
"Users can also have filters to choose exactly what kind of people they want to meet and want to avoid. We are also trying to launch a corporate version of the app so that employees within a company can use the app to meet each other," informs Kabli.
To clarify, LunchMatcher does not fix you up with your existing contacts on LinkedIn. It introduces you to a new person who you've not met before. It will help you meet a person first, have lunch and then go add him/her on LinkedIn (if you decide to keep the connection alive).
After future expansion in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and other emirates, LunchMatcher founders plan to roll it out in other major regional cities such as Doha, Beirut and Cairo.
Citywise rollout
"The app is very easy to expand globally because it is linked to Google Maps. We want to launch it with a big announcement in any city so that we have enough users joining the app at the same time so that they will find a match," he explains.
The founders of LunchMatcher chose to link the app with lunch so as to delineate it from other dating apps.
"It happens during lunchtime so that you are within your office environment and it is in between your working day. You're dressed for work. That's when most business meetings happen. It gives people a mood for business networking," Kabli says.
"There was a concern that this app should not be misconstrued as one for socialising or dating. That's the reason why we insist on using LinkedIn and not any other social network. We are trying not to reveal people's personal details and make the meeting very casual. We are trying to focus on the business side of it. You need to have a LinkedIn profile to download the app. You can't falsify any information. It creates a safe environment and a platform for business networking," he adds.
Vouching for how business is mostly done via connections in the Arab world, Kabli waxes eloquent on the need for networking.
"Most businesses here grow based on word of mouth and connections. In Dubai, people spend a lot of time and money pursuing networking. There are a lot of big networking groups for which people pay to become members of, such as Business Network International, InterNations, MeetUp, the business councils for each country and the Capital Club in DIFC.
No more speed networking
"Instead of taking time out of their evening with family to go out and do speed networking, our app uses their lunch time to network with a new person every day," he contends.
The start-up has been recently accepted into the in5 incubator in Internet City managed by Tecom.
"They give us access to their network of business experts and mentors. We share resources and tools with other entrepreneurs. Being in in5 will prove to be very useful for the growth of our app," Kabli adds.
Currently run by a small team of two co-founders, freelancers and interns, LunchMatcher is on the lookout for investors. "We are at that stage in our growth where it's appropriate to approach investors who believe in the project."
deepthi@khaleejtimes.com