GatherBoard Launches App with help of UM Computer Science Students

GatherBoard Event Platform Launches App with University of Montana Support

Computer science students, Blackstone Launchpad help tech company fuel national expansion

Tech startup GatherBoard has launched an app for their online event calendar platform, which includes the flagship site MissoulaEvents.net and 40 more calendars across the country, plus Canada and Mexico. The app will enhance the end-user experience by allowing calendar users to set preferences for their own custom event feed, integrate with other apps on their mobile device like voice calling, personal calendar, ride services and social media, migrate between the different ‘Boards and receive event notifications.

The app grew out of an invitation from the University of Montana’s Blackstone Launchpad and Small Business Development Center, which helps entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. GatherBoard received advice from Blackstone’s staff about how to solve a core customer problem, which led to the idea for an app built by UM’s Computer Science students’ capstone project that improves the calendar platform’s usability.

In a time where achieving an “experiential lifestyle” tops most people’s life-goals lists, and feelings of alienation, isolation and depression are increasing with excessive time spent on screens and social media, GatherBoard’s calendar software is rooted in the “Tech for Good” movement, implementing a free-standing community events calendaring platform that is designed to unite and strengthen communities facilitating real human connection. Event Listings are free to post and search, and everyone is invited to a GatherBoard calendar. The free-standing nature of the platform (versus a plugin on an existing site) makes it easier for multiple groups to collaborate on one successful community tool while connecting a feed to local sites and local media with multiple calendar feed options, and integrates an advertising tool for the license holder.