Trove: The App that Turns Stooping Into a Treasure Hunt

Stooping is a long-time New York tradition: someone discards their no-longer-needed belongings on the stoop or sidewalk in front of their home, and any passerby can salvage the items for free. During the pandemic, first-year student Kaylan Tran noticed that stooping became an Instagram phenomenon—with thousands of users sharing their finds on social media. Inspired by this movement, Kaylan created Trove, an app that aims to turn stooping into a fun, treasure-hunting, community-based experience.

During the pandemic, first-year student Kaylan Tran noticed that stooping became an Instagram phenomenon—with thousands of users sharing their finds on social media.

Kaylan imagined creating a community-based app that would make stooping stretch beyond an NYC-only pastime. "The challenge was to figure out how to expand this practice to other big cities, making an activity that often occurs by happenstance intentional," Kaylan shared.

Instant gratification.
Trove's AI-assisted feature allows users to quickly identify and assess the value of the object in front of them. The app also tracks all the finds and celebrates the users’ most notable acquisitions.

Pass it on!
As a subscribed member, you will get notified instantly whenever another member chooses to pass on an item in your selected vicinity. You will know exactly what the item looks like, the condition, the brand, the value, and the location before heading out of the door.

Taking out the guesswork.
Trove also ensures that a piece of found furniture will fit in your apartment. For users with a specific item or placement in mind, the AR feature allows them to visualize the Troved item in their space before making the commitment.