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April 22, 2025
The search for accommodation for students is often nerve-wracking and time-consuming. Especially in large cities with many universities, the housing market is tight and the competition is fierce. One student has taken on this challenge and developed an innovative solution: the website Cribster. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), the platform helps students find suitable shared apartments and roommates.
Daniel Virin, a 22-year-old student at the University of Bristol, knows the difficulties of finding accommodation from personal experience. The competitive housing market in Bristol gave him the idea for Cribster. Many students face similar problems: The search for a suitable shared apartment is often difficult and time-consuming. Often, compromises have to be made in terms of location, price, or amenities. In addition, there is the challenge of finding compatible roommates with whom to share an apartment. Different lifestyles, interests, or values can quickly lead to conflicts and negatively impact shared living.
Cribster's AI algorithm analyzes users' information on budget, housing preferences, values, hobbies, and habits. Based on this information, the platform suggests suitable shared apartments and potential roommates. The goal is to optimally utilize existing housing options by forming compatible groups. This should fill vacant rooms and reduce pressure on the student housing market.
Students who have already used Cribster report positive experiences. Jovan Navjee, for example, found three roommates through the platform with whom he got along well from the start and formed "real and lasting friendships." The right roommates significantly improved his everyday university life, according to Navjee. Shriya Pillay, also a student in Bristol, emphasizes the advantages of Cribster. She was worried about ending up with unsuitable roommates and therefore turned to the platform. The fear of conflicts in shared accommodation is an important factor that adds to the burden of the apartment search, says Pillay.
Daniel Virin's project was awarded £4,500 by the University of Bristol as part of the Jim and Peggy Wilkinson Awards and the Development Stage competition. He is currently working with his twin brother Asher, an engineer, on the development of a Cribster app. The university recognized Virin's innovative and solution-oriented approach to improving student well-being. Professor Mark Neild, an expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, emphasized the need for and value of a product like Cribster.
Cribster offers a promising solution to the challenges of finding shared accommodation. By using AI, students can find suitable roommates and thus enable a harmonious shared living experience. The platform helps to relieve the strained student housing market and to optimally utilize existing housing options. The positive feedback from users and the financial support from the University of Bristol underscore Cribster's potential.
