For D.C. residents living in Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and on U Street, meeting the neighbors just got a little bit easier. Go to Neighborsations, founded by Allison Sheren, answer four questions, and meet someone who lives nearby that might want to try a new dinner spot, shoot hoops, go for a run or check out a new art exhibit.
"This is not a dating thing," Sheren promises. "People are connecting with people are over the world, but they don't know who to connect with in their own neighborhood, in an emergency, like with [Hurricane] Sandy."
The idea for the site came when Sheren, who says she loves to cook and bake, had extra food to give away. "I'm always looking for people who live close by to give out Tupperware to," she explains. "The only person I knew in my building was my downstairs neighbor, and we met because we were both wearing [University of] Michigan gear." The interaction gave her the idea of creating a safe, private, fun way to "meet the neighbors you want to know."
On the site, potential neighbors answer questions about their neighborhood and their interests and hobbies. In a twist, they are also asked for one thing they would like to teach and one thing they would like to learn. The site suggests people who fit the description of what the user is looking for, and gives a recommendation of a place to meet, and sometimes a discount to meet there.
According to Sheren, current topics on the site include "lots of cooking, eating out, finding new restaurants, playing sports, exploring the city, and home brewing."
Although this is Sheren's first foray into the world of entrepreneurship, she is no stranger to the art of connecting people. Prior to launching Neighborsations, she spent two years as the managing director for the Israel on Campus Coalition in D.C., where, she says, she learned to "connect people, create and establish networks and create a great company culture."
Neighborsations launched in mid-January 2013. Sheren is looking for a Ruby on Rails lead developer to add to her development team.
Allyson Jacob is a writer originally hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the Innovation and Job News editor for
Elevation DC. Her work has been featured in
The Cincinnati Enquirer and
Cincinnati CityBeat. Have a tip about a small business or start-up making waves inside the Beltway? Tell her
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