When Miles “Deuce” McBride first arrived in New York as a 20-year-old rookie with the Knicks five years ago, he found the adjustment to city life daunting and had difficulty connecting with others.
“When I moved here, most of my teammates were either married with families or tended to keep to themselves,” he shared with TechCrunch, recalling how isolating it felt to be the youngest on the roster. “I really wanted a way to naturally meet people who shared my interests. Social media just feels so surface-level.”
Seeing that many people in their twenties face similar challenges, McBride joined forces with experienced entrepreneur Joe Einhorn to launch Mmotion, an app that blends location-based technology with social discovery tools. The goal is to help users connect with new friends who have common interests, while also suggesting local bars, restaurants, and other popular venues.
Image Credits:Mmotion (Image has been modified)
Currently in beta for New York City users, the app sets itself apart from platforms like Bumble BFF, instead positioning itself as a competitor to Snap Map and Find My. Instagram has also recently entered this space with its own Map feature. (The beta for Mmotion will be capped at 1,000 users.)
Mmotion uses geofencing and state tracking to monitor user activity, surfacing nearby individuals with similar interests. It also logs the places users visit to suggest other locations they might enjoy. Additionally, users receive a private record of their location history, serving as a personal timeline to revisit all the places they’ve checked out.
To join Mmotion, users must submit a membership application. Once approved, they can list their interests, participate in “Circles” or groups that match their hobbies (like hiking, basketball games, or art gallery visits), and send friend requests to people in their area. Private messaging is also available within the app.
Image Credits:Mmotion
For privacy, the app encrypts all location data, ensuring only the user can access it unless they choose to share. By default, users are in “Vault Mode,” which keeps them hidden, but this can be toggled at any time.
If users want to share their location with select people, Mmotion provides a “Personas” feature. This allows up to three distinct groups, so users can, for example, share their home address with close friends while maintaining a more public profile for others.
“For instance, Miles could have his [‘Deuce’ Persona], which is more curated since he’s a public figure. That way, Knicks fans can see him at places he’s comfortable sharing publicly. He could also have another Persona for when he’s traveling and wants to keep a low profile,” Einhorn said.
The app also includes standard safety and moderation features, such as blocking and reporting.
Image Credits:Mmotion
Mmotion will use a monthly subscription model. While pricing hasn’t been finalized, Einhorn mentioned it would be affordable, saying, “It’ll cost less than a cup of coffee each month. Nothing outrageous.”
There may also be premium plans with extra features. For instance, the basic membership only allows users to join up to five Circles per city at once.
The app also offers value to local businesses. By highlighting restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gyms, and more on its map, Mmotion aims to support small businesses and provide them with insights about their clientele. The platform pulls data from sources like Google, OpenStreetMap, and Apple Maps.
Looking ahead, Mmotion hopes to get businesses to subscribe for access to anonymized analytics, helping them better reach their target customers.
In addition to subscriptions, the app will also generate income from advertising.
This launch marks McBride’s debut as a startup founder, joining the ranks of athletes who have moved into entrepreneurship. Einhorn, on the other hand, is recognized as the founder and CEO of Fancy, a social e-commerce site that once rivaled Pinterest, and last year started a luxury goods venture called Long Story Short.
Mmotion plans to expand more broadly once it has gathered enough user feedback from the beta. It is currently available for download on both iOS and Android platforms.
