You might have heard people talking about this app, or you may even have it on your phone already: Know Your Crew is a new social app that allows players to see just how well they know their friends. A series of questions starts you off, in which one player spins a wheel for different categories such as ¨What the blank” or ¨Most likely to…¨ Then, each player in the crew answers the questions. Finally, all the answers are displayed and players match each other to their answer. It is a simple concept, but it offers endless possibilities of questions and fun.

The CEO and creator of Know Your Crew, Alison Bloom-Feshbach, was kind enough to answer some questions that MDO had about the app as well as the process of creating your own business.

MDO: What’s the story behind KYC? How did it all begin?

ABF: It all began in January 2013, when my co-founders and I, my best friends since ninth grade, decided to leave our cold northeastern cities for a weekend in Miami. As we drank glasses of wine poolside one night, we lamented that no one had brought a board game to play. We searched the app store for a social game all about friendship, connection, and laughing out loud – and we came up empty.

We set out to create a mobile product to fill this void. Know Your Crew uses fun and unique questions to help you get underneath the surface of what makes you tick, and unearth the nuances only your closest friends know about you. And this early spark of an idea has evolved into a dynamic platform for 360-degree insight into your attitudes, preferences, and traits.

MDO: Did you have any experience in the app-making world before creating KYC? Did you take any business classes in college?

ABF: I majored in cognitive science in college, which focuses on judgment and decision-making. I took a mix of psychology, philosophy, political science, and econ classes. I got my MBA from the Wharton School of UPenn in 2012, which is where I learned the most about business! There I took a gamification class, where we built a working prototype of an app!

MDO: What are the main objectives of the app?

ABF: We want people to have fun and feel connected to their best friends and family. We want to make it easy to start interesting conversations and learn about yourself through the eyes of your closest circles!

MDO: Who comes up with the questions? What are some of your favorite questions from the app?

ABF: The co-founders and our friends write the questions! Users also write their own questions – and we take the best of those to include in the app!

Some of my favorite questions include:

Who is most likely to keep it real?
If we went camping as a family, what would go wrong?
_____ like no one’s watching.
What 3 words describe Santa Claus’ life in the off season?
It’s too late to ____, sorry.
If Alison was an animal in the zoo, what would she do to show her distaste for annoying visitors?

MDO: Why do you think high schoolers would benefit from downloading this app?

ABF: It allows them to connect with friends in new ways! You are able to ask interesting questions and start great conversations. Itś also a way to have fun with your best friends and get to know new people. I like to think of it as a board game in your pocket that you can take on-the-go.
Itś also a nice way to connect with your family, and when a senior heads to college, itś a great way to keep in touch with high school friends.

MDO: Can people of any age play KYC?

ABF: Yes! It is a great way to connect with family – I play all the time with my mom and sister!

MDO: What have you learned from starting your own company? What advice might you have for others who want to do the same?

ABF: Stay curious and open-minded, and ask a lot of questions to connect with new people. You should never turn down the opportunity to connect with people, because they could be possible investors. Even if they don’t seem like they could be helpful at first, the most you talk to them and get to know them, the more you can glean ideas from them for your own business. Don’t settle for anything less than excellence for your business. Having high standards will ensure that your product is of high quality as well.

Thank you Alison for answering our questions!

Know Your Crew is available on the App Store and will be available for Android devices very soon (predicted to be available by the end of the month).

A new promo video: https://youtu.be/T6gRmBGWbNU
How to play video: https://youtu.be/T6gRmBGWbNU