These Startups Want to Be Tinder for Your Rolodex

"The most inspiring person you've ever met could be sitting under this ad," read the signs plastering the walls of New York's subway cars this winter. An oversized finger pointed downward--straight at said inspiring commuters. "Say hello now...or later on Shapr." Sign up to get Backchannel's weekly newsletter. The brainchild of Ludovic Huraux, a French entrepreneur best known for building a popular French dating site, Attractive World, Shapr is an app that helps you meet new professional connections. It launched in 2014 as a thinly-disguised version of LinkedIn, allowing users to add second-tier contacts--friends of friends--to their business circles.