Popular social calendar app Toga shuts down

Upon returning to USC this fall, upperclassmen may have noticed that Toga, a social calendar app, was missing.

Toga, which launched in 2015, was an app that displayed events, ranging from house parties to concerts at Shrine Auditorium, happening on or near USC’s campus.

Toga’s sudden disappearance was a source of mystery to students. A simple message appearing on the application and through emails announced its shutdown in May.

“On May 15th, Toga will be shutting down. But … as one chapter closes, a new one opens!” the message read.

Noah Johnson, a Toga co-founder and alumnus of the Marshall School of Business, explained that Toga shut down due to a failed acquisition.

“The abruptness came about due to an acquisition process, where a larger company was going to acquire us, but in the 11th hour, [the acquisition] fell through,” Johnson said.

Before the failed acquisition, Toga provided students with a shared platform on which all social events on or around campus were posted.

Its shutdown disappointing for many students, including Isabella Smith, a senior majoring in industrial systems engineering.

“It becomes a little more exclusive at USC when there’s not something that’s open to everyone to see where all the [events] are,” Smith said.

While larger events were added by the Toga staff themselves, students had the ability to broadcast their personal functions to all of campus, almost as a form of advertising to the student population. This ensured larger turnouts to organizations and social events, such as fraternity-affiliated parties.

“Back when I was a freshman, ultimately, it was difficult to find all of the events happening on campus,” Johnson said. “I built Toga to solve that [issue].”

Toga’s initial development included multiple iterations of the application, with the initial launching solely at USC. As the app received funding, its reach expanded to over 38 campuses and thousands of users.

The app itself was socially oriented, showing friends from connected social media accounts who were interested in the same events as the user.

Toga also offered a unique experience which allowed the user to “peek” onto other campuses, giving an insight into many universities’ specific student cultures and their events.

While many students may be disappointed by Toga’s shutdown, some students found that the app could be a nuisance because of how easily someone could post an event for the entire campus, even if they were not the function’s coordinator.

“I lived in a pretty big house on the corner of Menlo [Avenue], and parties, which were private Facebook events, on two separate occasions, were put on Toga,” said Justin Rankin, a senior majoring in industrial systems engineering. “We ended up entertaining a large amount of people we did not know.”

Rankin’s experience seems to be in the minority, with many upset by the app removal.

“One of the biggest things [I see] when I look at the whole journey is ultimately perseverance, you learn from your mistakes and you keep building,” Johnson said.