New York Knicks player Miles “Deuce” McBride knows firsthand the struggle of being new in a big city. Arriving at just 20 years old, he found himself surrounded by older teammates who were settled into their lives—married with kids or keeping to themselves. He longed for a way to connect with other young people who shared his interests, feeling like social media only offered shallow interactions. This experience spurred McBride to launch Mmotion, a location-based friendship app aimed at helping users forge genuine connections offline.
Mmotion stands out from traditional friendship platforms like Bumble BFF by focusing more on real-time location sharing and discovery, placing it in direct competition with apps like Snap Map and Find My. Think of it as a blend of these familiar features but with a social twist designed to surface shared interests. Instagram even recently entered the scene with its own Map feature, signaling a growing trend toward location-based social connection.
So how does Mmotion work? The app leverages geofencing and user location history to connect people near each other who are interested in similar things—whether it’s hiking trails, basketball games, or art galleries. It functions like a real-time map where you see dots representing potential friends nearby, grouped by those with overlapping interests.
Mmotion encourages users to apply for membership and define their hobbies through “Circles”—interest groups that function like online communities. Users can send friend requests to others within these Circles and engage in private messaging.
Safety is a key focus: Mmotion emphasizes user privacy with encrypted location data accessible only by the user unless they choose to share it. The app also defaults users into “Vault Mode,” where their location is hidden from others, offering an extra layer of control over visibility. For added flexibility, “Personas” allow users to create different profiles with varying levels of location sharing. This way, McBride could have one persona for Knicks fans to see his public outings and another, more private persona for when he’s exploring a new city anonymously.
Mmotion will operate on a monthly subscription model (priced affordably). Additional premium features might be available, such as joining more Circles per city. The app also aims to partner with local businesses, promoting them on the map and providing anonymized customer data insights through a paid service—generating revenue through both subscriptions and targeted advertising.
For McBride, this launch marks his first foray into entrepreneurship. He joins other athletes who are making successful transitions into the world of startups. His co-founder, Joe Einhorn, brings valuable experience to the table, having previously founded the social e-commerce platform Fancy and a luxury goods startup last year called Long Story Short.
Mmotion is currently in beta with a limited membership of 1,000 users in NYC. The long-term vision? To become the go-to app for discovering new friends and exploring local spots—all while prioritizing user privacy and control over their online presence.
