Seeking 1 * tech co-founder and 1 * marketing co-founder in APAC for a social app focused on platonic friendships [pitch included]
Hi everyone - I am validating/re-iterating and building mock-ups for the idea. Missing co-founders so if the below pitch is interesting to you please comment. Bit of info on my background below too.
The problem which sparked this journey for me is deeply personal and in my head, shouldn't be hard to solve with the right people. So don't miss out on this opportunity in joining me on this wild ride!
My pitch:
-Loneliness is a public health epidemic, pervasive in modern society
-We thought social media was the answer but research shows current social media giants and their business models makes it worse
-This problem is felt most acutely by expatriates who have moved to a new country
-Expats predominantly meet new people through work or friends of friends but many look for better solutions, ACTIVE solutions
-Some people go against social stigma and use FB groups, MeetUp and dating/social apps to meet new people but these have their own pain points
-Our startup will be one of the first purpose built solutions with the sole purpose of facilitating people with the same mindset and interests to meet at the right gatherings. There are several defining functions/perspectives which will set us apart from all current competitors but I won't disclose at this point
About me:
-I work in investment banking, specifically in the tech space. I help the next gen of tech companies raise money, find the right partners and scale. From this, I have a certain range of super useful skills and network
-Entrepreneurship is my thing but I never identified a serious enough problem I wanted to dedicate myself to tackling... until now!
If you just want to get in touch to chat etc. also open to that :)
I am working on a similar idea and I have completed the prototype.
Let me know how can I connect with you so we can discuss more as well as go back and forth with the idea.
This does sound like an app I would use. However I am a bit skeptical if this will just turn out to be a tinder for groups. Still I am interested. I have a background in tech with handling technical infra and managing it. Would like to connect.
Hi Ryce, understand where you are coming from. I also don’t want this to just turn into a group format dating platform and we’d try everything we could to not. Let’s chat more, what’s your email?
This comment was deleted 4 years ago
Hi, Living this problem statement at the moment as I live the life of an expat in Scandinavia. Along with the harsh winter, the introvert nature of people makes it tougher to integrate to the society or make new friends. And this has been revolving around in my head for quite long. Would love to hear more and maybe contribute in my own ways to your product. You can reach me at vinil.valsan@icloud.com.
Thanks for dropping your email. Just contacted you!
Hi, I'd be interested in learning more. I have a background in growth marketing. Experience both client and agency side. I've worked in the US and Australia.
Hi would be great to connect. What’s your email?
Following up!
Hi I am interested, just give me more details about the idea.
Could I get more info on your background? We could have a chat if you are keen
Following up!
Hello
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We can help you out
"I work in investment banking, specifically in the tech space" sounds interesting, but why a person like you pick such an obscure business idea ? the pitch is OK, but the app will go no where without a significant amount of marketing budget and even then it is seriously risky, there must be way easier ways of making money if you already have a network.
Thanks for the question! My post lacks a-lot of context as I didn't want to tell my life story but here goes.
Working in professional services, lots of my friends and I have had to move cities/countries for work and life opportunities. We all have had to rebuild our social circles and lots of us struggled with the same problem of finding it difficult to meet the right people with the same mindset, hobbies etc.
The business idea is very personal to me because the "customer" I am creating this solution for is me, my now-wife (who moved to Hong Kong with me and then moved again to Sydney) and lots of friends around me. During the validation phase I come across countless stories of expats and immigrants leaving behind great cities and opportunities just because of how hard it is to break into new social circles.
On the second part of your question (marketing budget and making money) - I get that that this is a difficult, moon-shot kind of idea with a saturated market. But nothing myself or anyone else have tried using solves this problem so I want to fix that. This is definitely not the easiest way of making money but thats not what gets me up in the morning anyway.
Hope that answers your question on why I picked this problem/business idea! :)
Hey..
Definitely interested. I've recently moved to Sydney for work-related reasons, and felt a very similar pain point. It's incredibly difficult in a city where you've lost your entire social circle and creating a new one just becomes so so difficult.
Although, to be honest, I am not sure that an app is the right solution for it i.e. definetly not swipe-right/left of the Bumble/Tinder style thing, but I do think a market exists for some sort of solution here (I have ideas, but hard to write it all out here).
Anyway, would love to have a chat.
Hi would be great to chat! What’s your email? I’ll reach out
me@maktoom.dev - Look forward to having a chat.
Just FYI, sent an email to you yesterday. May have ended up in the junk folder if you haven't got it yet.