WHO HE IS Allen Zhou, 20, teamed with his younger brother, Anthony, and University of Texas classmate Aditi Merchant to launch Big & Mini, an online, cross-generational social connection platform, last April during the Covid-19 pandemic. Allen and Aditi, both engineering students, met as freshmen on the first day of math class. “It seemed like a total chance encounter,” Allen recalls. But they quickly discovered a shared passion for creating products that benefit others.
WHAT HE DOES In mid-March last year, UT students went home to continue their studies online. Allen, at his parents’ house in Dallas, missed the camaraderie of campus. Every day, he read about people dying, families separated and the toll of loneliness, particularly on seniors. Clearly there was a need for meaningful connection that traditional social…