For app users and developers, PreApps is a must

Business major Sean Casto takes the term serial entrepreneur to heart. But now he has decided to dedicate himself to one venture that has proven too promising to push aside: PreApps.

“I love working on startups and for other companies,” says Casto, whose father is an entrepreneur. “But PreApps is my baby and I plan on continuing to grow and lead this company to hit critical mass.”

PreApps offers developers pre-launch exposure and users an exclusive platform to discover and rate upcoming applications. With five to 10 new apps posted every day, you could understand why 1,000 unique daily users and nearly 300 app-makers  have already bought into the PreApps model.

Casto’s venture has only been live since Jan. 24, but he has already drawn the attention of Microsoft and secured a partnership with the Windows developer platform. This partnership validates the hardworking PreApps team, Casto said, and serves as the first step in his plan to build direct relationships with all mobile providers.

Casto and his small Boston-based team have been perfecting the PreApps platform for more than a year with support from IDEA, Northeastern’s student-run venture accelerator. PreApps is free for developers to post their app and gain exposure; stats back the claim that platform use increases app downloads, ranking, and overall quality.

While the site is a great place for developers to promote their apps, Casto points out that PreApps does so much more than generate pre-launch buzz. “We’re building this ecosystem for developers,” he explained. “We provide them the tools for success prior to release, but also post-launch as well.”

Post-launch tools range from app development and press releases to demo video production and icon creation. It also offers premium services such as advanced analytics and featured marketing.

Casto will graduate in May, but he doesn’t plan to leave the Bay State any time soon. His office is housed on Newbury Street, and he and his team have been working hard to build promising partnerships and relationships with companies in the Boston-area.

“A lot of exciting things are in the works,” Casto said. “For the first time, there is a platform that directly connects app users to developers. We have new content every single day, and we’re already starting to get great testimonials and metrics.”