Freshman computer science major Tahmid Bhuiyan works on his app, Pegasus Pair, on Saturday in the John C. Hitt Library, patching up bugs prior to launch day.
Courtesy of Carter Pham
A new matchmaking website created by UCF students launched Monday to help students make lasting relationships, both platonic and romantic, on campus.
Pegasus Pair is an app created exclusively for students at the university. The website launched early Monday morning, and students can now join and fill out a survey to find potential matches later this month.
The app was founded by Joshua Mariano, freshman philosophy major, who said building connections is one of the most important parts of the college experience.
“Because UCF is so big, and so many people only come to campus for their classes, I found that finding these connections can be especially hard,” Mariano said. “I knew the idea was already vetted for me.”
Unlike traditional dating or friendship-finding apps, Pegasus Pair follows a set schedule of events. After students create a profile on the website by verifying their identity using their UCF email, they are invited to complete a 30-second survey. The survey is based on students’ personalities and values.
“Our matching system is based off of vector math to make sure that your connections are actually high-quality,” said Tahmid Bhuiyan, freshman computer science major and software developer of Pegasus Pair.
Once the survey is completed, students will wait until “match day” to receive their matches, including potential romantic partners and friends alike. Mariano said the first match day will be on April 20. In the future, match days will take place once per semester.
Freshman aerospace engineering major Aryan Prasad (left) and freshman philosophy major Joshua Mariano filming a video for their Instagram story on March 23 in the John C. Hitt Library, asking followers to choose which Pegasus Pair flyer they’d be more likely to scan.
Courtesy of Adelyne Brantley
“We’re more like a Fortnite event,” Bhuiyan said. “We’re like a limited-time event. You only have, like, a two-week window to submit your survey and get your matches.”
Pegasus Pair features two preference toggles – one for friends, one for romance – that students can choose from. Both options can be selected as well.
Adelyne Brantley, freshman marketing major and marketing lead of Pegasus Pair, said having different options on the website makes it better.
“I feel like a lot of the apps that are targeted out there are for dating and relationships,” Brantley said, “But some people just don’t want that.”
She said the app gives students more freedom to decide what to do when matches drop.
Mariano said he hopes the platform will become large enough that they no longer need to advertise.
“If we could host events where people come and try to find their matches as the clock ticks down on drop day, that would be cool too,” Mariano said.
Students can find Pegasus Pair at PegasusPair.com or by following the team on Instagram.