By: Nia Bowers

In a world where “let’s hang soon” often doesn’t lead to actual plans, Last Minute: Join the Party is attempting to offer a fresh perspective on spontaneity, making it easier to connect in real time.

Created by Dr. Rachel Semaan, a Detroit native physician and former Division 1 athlete, Last Minute is a location-based social planning app that’s offering an alternative to the way friends typically make plans. After balancing hospital night shifts, cross-country travel, and the all-too-familiar “group chat that goes nowhere,” Dr. Semaan noticed how fragmented modern social life had become and decided to address it.

“Planning your social life doesn’t have to feel like scheduling a meeting,” she says. “We’re all busy, but we still want to connect with friends. We just need a more efficient way to make it happen.”

That more efficient way is Last Minute, a free mobile app designed to simplify social planning by letting users post events instantly and notify only their selected circle, without ads, pressure, or long back-and-forth messages. For instance, “Dinner at 7 near SoHo” or “Drinks downtown after work” can be shared, and your friends receive a real-time alert they can respond to with one tap.

The concept is straightforward: spontaneous plans, without the usual chaos.

Since its launch in January 2025, the app has gained traction among young professionals, solo city dwellers, digital nomads, and anyone who feels overwhelmed by algorithm-heavy social media platforms that don’t foster real-life interaction. Features like private event sharing, real-time notifications, and customizable visibility give Last Minute a more streamlined and secure option compared to traditional apps.

“It’s not about broadcasting your life,” Semaan explains. “It’s about connecting with the people who matter most to you, in the moment.”

The app has particularly resonated with women, many of whom point to concerns about safety and social fatigue as reasons they’re moving away from larger platforms. With Last Minute, users have control over who sees each invite, cutting through the noise and enabling more intimate, trust-based plans to form, whether it’s a spontaneous rooftop hang, a 5-mile run, or a weekend getaway.

Dr. Semaan’s medical background might seem like an unusual foundation for a tech startup, but she views it as a strength. “Medicine teaches you to prioritize, to tackle the most pressing issue first. Right now, one of the biggest problems I see is loneliness. We have all this technology, and yet many still feel isolated. Last Minute is my way of addressing that, not with filters, but through real action.”

With new updates planned for later this year, including calendar integrations and friend group tags, Last Minute is steadily building its reputation as an app for making real-life plans a reality. The team is also looking into partnerships and new feature enhancements based on user feedback, with the goal of making spontaneous connections even smoother.

However, according to Dr. Semaan, the vision is more straightforward than that: “We’re not trying to change your whole lifestyle, just the way you make plans. One tap at a time.”