Hatch Labs, IAC's semi-accelerator/sandbox for intriguing mobile innovations, is stepping into spontaneous event creation today with the launch of the free iPhone app Mob.
Mob sports a simplistic design, which IAC claims will allow you to create events in under 20 seconds. It's not tough to find nearby events either, simply find a yellow dot on the app's map, select it, and click "I'm in!" to add it to your collection of events. Since I'm only a few neighborhoods away from Dumbo, I'm already seeing a few events popping up on Mob.
“Mob was inspired by the desire to simplify how people create local activities in their communities and connect with one another,” said Hatch CEO Dinesh Moorjani in an e-mail to VentureBeat.
Facebook is now the most popular way to plan events with friends, but the beauty of Mob is its simplicity and ability to connect with people you don't already know. That also gives it a leg-up on similar apps, like GiddyUp, which also relies on your existing friends for planning events.
IAC is also announcing that Patricia Adler, founder of the London design firm Pepper-mint, is joining Hatch Labs as part of the firm's Teaching and Research Fellowship Fund. IAC has partnered with NYU's Tisch School of Arts for the fund, and it has backed the school's post-grad Interactive Telecommunications Program with $250,000.