Knicks player Myles McBride has launched a location-sharing friendship app to rival Snap Map

Five years ago, when Miles “Deuce” McBride moved to New York as a 20-year-old rookie playing for the Knicks, he found the move to a big city stressful and struggled to find the right audience.

“When I got here, everyone on my team was married with kids or kind of lonely,” he told TechCrunch, reflecting on his initial feelings of loneliness as the youngest player on the team. “I wish there was a way to meet people with the same interests organically. I feel like with social media, everyone is so superficial.”

Recognizing a common pain point for many in their 20s, McBride teamed up with veteran startup founder Joe Einhorn to create a movementan app that combines location tracking elements with social discovery features to help people find new friends based on shared interests while also recommending nearby bars, restaurants, and other social hotspots.

Now available in beta for users in New York City, the app is different from the traditional one Friendship platforms Like Bumble BFF, rather than competing directly with apps like Snap Map and Find My. Instagram It also recently entered the space with a new map feature. (The Mmotion trial will be limited to 1,000 members.)

Mmotion leverages geofencing and status tracking to follow users’ movements, highlighting people with similar interests in the vicinity. It also tracks where users go to recommend similar and worthwhile sites to explore. Additionally, users get a log of all their location history, serving as a personal timeline so they can easily go back to all the locations they’ve discovered.

To access Mmotion, users must apply for membership. Once accepted, they can enter their interests, join “circles” or groups they are interested in (such as those focused on hiking, attending basketball games, or visiting art galleries), and send friend requests to others nearby. The app also provides private messaging between users.

To prioritize user safety, the app features encrypted location data that is only accessible to the user unless they choose to share it. Users are put in incognito mode by default, which Mmotion refers to as “Vault Mode,” and can be toggled at any time.

Additionally, if users prefer that only specific individuals in the app know their location, Mmotion offers a feature called “Personas.” This feature allows users to create up to three separate groups, enabling them to share more private locations like their home address with a select group of people while maintaining a more public persona.

“So Miles might have (his ‘Deuce’ character), which is something that’s a little more curated, because he’s a public character. So for all the Knicks fans to see Miles go places that it’s okay for the general public to know about him. And then he might have a (character), because when he goes to a different city, and he wants to be really quiet,” Einhorn explained.

Standard security and moderation tools such as blocking and reporting are also implemented.

The app will work on a monthly subscription model for users. While exact pricing details have not been revealed, Einhorn hinted that it will be affordable for everyone, saying: “It won’t be more than a cup of coffee a month. It won’t be crazy.”

Premium options may also be available that offer additional features. For example, the basic level only allows users to join 5 circles per city at a time.

Another aspect of the app is its exposure to local businesses. By displaying restaurants, bars, cafes, fitness studios and more on a map, Mmotion aims to promote small businesses while also providing them with insight into their customer base. The app aggregates data from various sources, including Google, OpenStreetMap, and Apple Maps.

Mmotion’s long-term vision is to encourage businesses to sign up for a subscription service that provides access to anonymous analytics. This service will help businesses target the right customers effectively.

In addition to the subscription fee, the app will generate revenue through advertising.

This launch marks McBride’s first time as a startup founder, putting him alongside other athletes who have transitioned into entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, Einhorn is known as the founder and CEO of ExtravagantIt is a social e-commerce platform that competes with Pinterest. Him too Fired A luxury goods startup launched last year called Long Story Short.

Mmotion plans to launch it more widely in the near future when there is enough feedback from testers. It is currently available for download at iOS and Android devices.