By Ovunc Kutlu
LEXINGTON, Kentucky
A new mobile app aims to bring together different cultures by helping users reach their common goals through sharing experiences.
Leo Riza, co-founder of the Timeset app, told Anadolu Agency users set their life goals via the Bucket List option in the application. Goals can be anything from climbing Mount Everest to running a marathon.
They will then instantly find others on a global scale who have reached, or are aiming for the same goals — and learn from their past experiences.
"Users can find and connect with others in different locations in seconds, and learn from their experience," Riza said. "Let's say a user likes fishing, and he or she wants to fish in the Aegean Sea, or in Fiji. He adds this goal to Bucket List. And now, he can share this instantly.
The idea behind the app is that those in certain areas who have reached similar goals would have unique insights that would be helpful to others who have similar aspirations. “Why not share this knowledge with other users to make them achieve their life goals easier?" he said.
For Riza, however, it is not only about sharing know-how. He wants individuals, groups and different cultures around the world to connect, but more importantly, to influence each other.
"At Timeset we believe a community of users define a virtual culture. We believe members can inspire each other via shared experiences," he said.
Riza believes the human spirit develops through its journey, like a flowing river -- in other words, "life", he said.
Often in that river, individuals look for a branch to hold on to, according to Riza. He said people often question what could have happened in life and the question of “What if?” crops up.
"By connecting one user's goals to experiences of multiple users, members contemplating their future invariably expand and enhance choices, options and possibilities," he said.
Timeset could have helped Riza achieve his own personal goal of becoming a successful engineer in the U.S. if the app existed almost 20 years ago before he came to the U.S., he said.
After graduating with an engineering degree, Riza immigrated from Turkey to the U.S. with one goal in mind. "I wanted to prove myself as a successful engineer and entrepreneur in America," he said. "I wish Timeset was there two decades ago. I could have found and got in touch with other engineers in the U.S. and learned from their experience.”
Riza’s path on his river of life was not easy once he reached the U.S. with less than $70 in his pocket.
But beating the odds, he and his brother now head R&R, a technology firm based in Sarasota, Florida, in which investors are pouring millions of dollars into.
In addition, Riza has support for Timeset from one of the most acclaimed basketball coaches in the history of the game.
"He loved it!" Riza said excitedly as he recalled the first time he showed Timeset to University of Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari, whom he met though social connections.
The former NBA coach of the New Jersey Nets who also carried the Kentucky Wildcats to the NCAA Division I Tournament championship in 2012 could not have agreed more.
"This application has really interesting things that can take off," Calipari told Anadolu Agency.
The three-time college coach of the year said he and his team are always looking at what is next and how can they be first at it.
"I believe [Timeset] has those attributes which will be the next thing that people want to get into. It's a way of setting goals, and doing things that you always want to do, and doing and recording it in a group setting," he said.
Calipari has molded a bevy of current NBA stars including Anthony Davis, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, among others, and said he wants his players and teams to set goals that motivate them to do even more.
"In the case of Timeset, when you reach that one goal, you enjoy and document that moment. Having those things out there, they wake you up early in the morning, they keep motivating you, they move you,” he said. “When you feel like letting go off the rope, you hold on to it a little longer, because you have some things out there you are striving for.”
Calipari, who is a partner in Timeset and board member, said the app can be special since it is individually and community driven.
"People can follow others [in Timeset]. Watching someone else to reach their goals motivates to reach yours," he said.
Timeset application is free and does not have advertisements. It can be downloaded from App Store for iOS, and from Google Play for Android users.
Calipari is also expected to soon make a public announcement about Timeset, Riza said.
