since early 2010 and is launching in beta. Initially, it will be available in San Francisco -- with plans to expand to other cities soon.

Launched in October 2010 at Venturebeat’s DiscoveryBeat, the Seattle-based startup (founded by Kiran Modak, Justin Richardson and Santosh Khare) is officially coming out of stealth and unveiling its iPhone and Android apps.

According to Evelyn Rusli of TechCrunch, here's how Unsocial works: "A user signs up via his or her LinkedIn account and Unsocial uses that profile to collect basic information on the person’s career. The user inputs 'smart tags,' or rather keywords, that describe his/her professional background (for example you might include 'journalist,' 'writer,' or 'technology') and the traits of people s/he is seeking.

When you’re ready to use the application, you simply open it up and click on the first button, 'People,' which will show you relevant, nearby matches, if you find someone you want to connect with you can send a direct message through the platform (or e-mail/call them if that information is available). The service is ideal for large conferences or similar events where attendees have a limited amount of time to identify high-value contacts."