Slé Alpha Release Available

I’m excited to share that we’ve published an alpha release of the Slé app, available in the App Store (downloadable here).

The goal with this very early version of Slé is to share a proof of concept, to elicit feedback from testers and interested parties, and to begin the algorithmic training that will ultimately power a number of features of the platform — and more near term, allow us to to develop subsequent versions of the app. The release provides very limited functionality but it is my hope that it offers a good sense of my vision of Slé’s potential through the passive recognition of multimodal human movement, psychology of gamification, data analytics, design-centric approach, and inclusion of broader social connectivity. The following is my attempt at a TL;DR for my vision for Slé, where we stand now in the process, and my goals going forward. Please have a read and checkout the app!

Vision:

Connectivity and gamification can change transportation the same way they changed fitness. Before Connected Fitness platforms like Peloton, Strava, Whoop, Fitbit, and Apple Health came along, working out was an often solitary and boring experience. With the advent of these platforms, solitary fitness activities can now be social, data rich, immersive, and competitive experiences. Slé looks to leverage this same psychology to overcome the often daunting and overwhelming aspect of climate action and motivate incremental habitual change in users’ transportation habits. I believe we can build a robust user base that can drive measurable improvements in the sustainability of the transportation practices of urban populations and large corporations, globally.

Biz Plan:

We’re building Slé as a freely downloadable consumer-facing app with an added platform designed for corporations interested in reducing their Scope 3 emissions from employee commuting. Our business model for the B2C app is based on transportation-specific location-based advertising and the production of big data through Slé’s user base, which I believe can be leveraged for the introduction of a number of game-changing transportation products and services. There is so much room in mobility and transportation spaces for more data-based approaches to everything from infrastructure, policy, and vehicle services; we’re positioning Slé as a response to this collective opportunity.

Near Term Goals:

I’ll begin fundraising in January, 2024 with the goal of securing capital to begin building a small team in Boston, bring development local, grow Slé’s user base, secure commercial partners, and improve on the app’s key functionalities and UX.

Thanks,

Chessin

Originally published in Medium