School lunch, circa 1935.

Let’s do lunch.  We need to have a lunch meeting.  Everyone bring your lunch, we’re working late.  Lunch is a big deal around the office, because for some people, it’s the only chance they get to leave the office.  For other people, lunch is an invaluable resource for making professional connections.  That’s where Lunchback comes into play.  Lunchback is an app designed to help match users up for business lunches.  It’s sort of a mentor/apprentice situation, just over sandwiches and coffee (or whatever the app chooses for lunch).

Every Sunday, the app’s users are asked if they’re available for lunch.  If they say yes, that’s where Lunchback’s magic comes into play.  It scours user LinkedIn profiles and connects them to someone else in their industry based off where they work, what they do, and the skills they have.  The app also chooses a restaurant to arrange the meeting.  After each meeting, the users are quizzed about their lunch and that information is used to refine the app.

“We want to create an artificial intelligence based service.  We understand people’s needs and we have people who want to give that help,” said Lunchback founder and CEO Jimmy Zhao. “I want to help entrepreneurs.  Everyone wants to learn form someone who has been there, done that.”

Currently, the app has about 2000 users in Stockholm, where Zhao founded the company after moving from Shanghai, China, a decade ago.  Shanghai has 10-15000 users.  The app is also launching in Chicago, followed by San Francisco and New York.

Tags: lunchback, lunch app, app arranges lunch meeting, lunch meeting app, mentoring app, lunch with a mentor, lunchback mentor lunch app, lunchback app, unusual apps, jimmy zhao, lunchback lunch meeting app, lunch meetings, stockholm, sweden, shanghai, china

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