High Achievers: Cannabis Friend-Finding App 'JoinMe' Wins Innovate@BU Start-Up Competition

An app that helps cannabis users find new friends to smoke won the top prize of $10,000 at Boston University's seventh annual Cannabis Start-Up Competition last week.

The stoner-friendly app called JoinME enables consumers to find and meet up with other like-minded people and share a sesh.

The popular event at BU consists of student- and alum-led teams pitching their ideas in Shark Tank–style to a panel of judges for a chance to win the ten grand and free consulting services from industry leaders.

JoinME, the brainchild of Marco Rotella and Claudio Bettini aims to reduce social anxiety and agitation among cannabis users by connecting them. The BU event supports cannabis advocacy, reminding participants of the plant's history and the importance of continuing the fight against the War on Drugs. 

“We are very proud of what we are doing, and hopefully with everybody’s help we are able to develop our idea even more,” Bettini said.

Rotella noted that he and Bettini, who met several years ago at the Italian Students Association, put a lot of work and thought into the app.

“We have identified two main problems: cannabis consumers want and need partners,” Rotella said. “Social consumers have a much lower correlation with psychological side effects, such as social anxiety and agitation.” 

Siobhan Dullea, executive director of Innovate@BU, kicked off the awards event by saying that many BU students will eventually find themselves in careers that currently don’t exist, thanks to the rapid development of new technologies and industries. Innovate@BU exists, she said, to help them “form innovation skills and an entrepreneurial mindset so they can make a meaningful impact in their lives and in their communities.” 

The competition primarily offers support to students and alumni in launching cannabis-related startups, none of which involve direct sales or cultivation of the product. Sponsored by Green Lion Partners to spur innovation within the growing cannabis sector, the competition does not accept startups directly handling cannabis.

See more, including photos, at this BU publication.

Photo Shutterstock