Venue is a mobile device app highlighting a variety of activities around college campuses; University of Toledo will be the test site.

Three Monroe men recently launched an app targeting college students.

Reese LaBudie, 19, and Kyle Spare and Banty Hill, both 20, created Venue, an app highlighting a variety of activities around college campuses.

LaBudie said they were talking one day about launching a business and brainstormed a few ideas.

“At first, we wanted to base it off of Greek Life,” Hill said. “Then, we decided that was too narrow a focus.”

Spare said he initially wasn’t crazy about the app, but as the focus changed he came on board.

The 2016 graduate of Monroe High School launched the app, which is free to download, on July 19.

Venue only targets college students.

“It’s a lifestyle app that features events on campus,” LaBudie said. ” You have to have a college email address in order to sign up.”

On the app, a user creates a profile similar to other social media platforms detailing where they attend college, their major, year of study and a few other details.

A list of events is available on the profile screen and users can filter events depending on their interest. The men said available events include those that are free or paid along with sport events and campussponsored activities.

Now that it has launched, the app will go into a beta testing phase before hopefully rolling out by the fall semester.

Spare and Hill, both 2018 graduates of Monroe County Community College, will be attending the University of Toledo in the fall to study business. They are using UT as a test site for the app.

“After we launch in Toledo, our goal is to partner with other colleges,” Hill said.

LaBudie said they also hope the app will eventually support colleges and universities selling tickets to events that require admission.

To get the app started, the men sought out seed funding and once they secured enough money, reached out to a coding company to develop the app.

Tweaks will be made to the app during the testing phase. Then, like other social media platforms, the men hope it will take on a life of its own.

“Our hope is that it spreads to other campuses,” Spare said.