Matthew Guella: Building Pulse While Battling Cancer

MBA student Matthew Guella turned a simple idea into a social coordination app, Pulse, all while undergoing chemotherapy. Pulse is an app that helps friends easily plan in-person activities without the chaos of group chats.

The Problem: Group Chats Don’t Cut It

The idea came from a summer catch-up in Austin, when a friend expressed frustration: she could see that multiple friends were nearby but had no easy way to get everyone together. Texting one friend felt awkward, and sending a group message was distracting. Often, nothing happened. This is what inspired Guella to create a platform that can address this by letting users send a quick “pulse” to their network. Anyone who is free can join with just a tap. A Quick Pulse feature simplifies the process further for spontaneous activities like grabbing lunch or running errands.

Guella also sees the app helping parents connect around playdates and shared interests. Beyond convenience, Pulse addresses a broader social need. Chronic loneliness has been linked to serious health risks, while social media increasingly fails to connect friends meaningfully. Guella believes there’s a growing demand for a tool that helps people interact with those they already know.

Building the App: From AI Tools to a Development Team

Guella initially tried building Pulse using AI coding tools like Cursor and Claude, but quickly realized non-technical founders often hit limits with full-stack apps. He then hired a team on Upwork, following his father’s advice. He spent $5,000 to get a product live and test it.

The journey wasn’t smooth. Early glitches included a misspelled last name and a malfunctioning back button. After revising the design, the app was finally completed in December 2025. Apple and Android approvals took time, though Android went through overnight.

Early Traction and Next Steps

Pulse has roughly 100 downloads so far, mainly from Guella’s classmates and friends in Austin, Chicago, and NYC. He’s searching for a technical co-founder to enhance features like friend discovery. While chemotherapy continues through June, Guella remains committed to refining the app at his own pace.

“Many founders wait for the perfect moment to launch,” he reflects. “For me, that moment was already here.”