Aurélien Lustrement, co-founder of Jinto together with Aloïs Deniel, is one of the startups who have recently finished our acceleration program StartMeUp. His app, which is set to be released in a few weeks, is aimed at private event organisers. Soon, private individuals, companies and associations will be able to manage their event(s) from A to Z, without breaking a sweat… and without losing their personal data.
Needs, ethics and practical tips
If you’re wondering whether these tools already exist on the web, they do. However, they all have their own particular objective (inviting friends, creating a joint funding pot, etc.). They therefore need to be used in combination with other services (Doodle + Tricount + spreadsheet + album photo, etc., etc.). What’s more, some of them – primarily Facebook – base their business model on the monetisation of personal data – sometimes in an opaque manner.
“Even for technophiles, finding the right tools and using them can be time-consuming. For others, it’s a real maze”, states Aurélien Lustrement. Facebook is still the most popular in France and throughout the world, for want of anything better. But many web users are starting to have doubts. An IFOP (French Institute of Public Opinion) poll revealed that a quarter of all Facebook users are considering leaving the social network. The main reason being to protect their private lives and personal data.
“We have therefore designed an app that makes life simpler for organisers while meeting their ethical needs”. The functionalities offered by Jinto do not monetise personal data.
Jinto on the menu
So what will this app be used for? “We offer tools (invitations, collaborative lists, joint funding pots, playlists, chat module, etc.) and services (finding a provider, DJ, photographer, hiring a room, etc.)”, describes Aurélien Lustrement. Some functionalities are cross-functional: users can share a photo album of the big day and their guests can add their own pics. The album can then be printed, while remaining shared within the group of friends.
From cinema trips, to weddings and internal association or company events, Jinto is a meeting place for organisers and participants. “Some functionalities have been developed in-house, such as the invitation and budget management tools. Other, more complex ones, have been created through partnerships”.
“We are putting the finishing touches to our app’s UX and UI. A user feedback platform will also be available, as we want to integrate their suggestions to ensure that Jinto meets their needs. Unlike other tools, which impose their own model, such as Facebook.”
So what’s next?
Jinto will be hitting the shelves and undergoing testing over the summer, with the official launch expected in September. “We are so fortunate that StartMeUp exists, and that we have been able to be part of this programme. We have transformed our project, using what we have learnt along the way.”
After this launch phase, Jinto may well drift off to new horizons, abroad, adding new functionalities linked to connected devices for events: “users may, for example, be able to receive pics taken in a photo booth, or connect their smartphone to a video projector.” Jinto may also deploy a special offer for public event professionals or B2B. The possibilities are endless…
