We're building a way to help anyone safely and easily make real friends in real life. And we want your help!

Hey friends! I'm Damien, the co-founder & CEO of Readi Social. Question: Have you noticed just how difficult it is to make real friends as an adult? It's not just you. I've noticed it too.

In 2018 a study was done that found that over 100 million people in this the US experience "life-threatening loneliness."

That was pre-pandemic. Imagine what those numbers look like now.

But life-threatening? Is it really that bad to be lonely? Turns out, it's really is:

• Prolonged isolation is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
• Women don't feel safe going out alone in so many scenarios.
• Men are reporting having fewer close friendships than ever before.
• Social media isn't fixing the problem: it's making things worse.
• Every day more research comes out showing us that forming friendships is literally getting harder.

The solution: the Readi app, a platform we're building to solve loneliness and social isolation for GOOD. In 3 clicks or less, you'll join a small group of new friends in your community to attend a unique adventure! And we've also found a way to help local businesses by connecting them to those people.

The image above is an early work-in-progress version of the user interface. The final product will likely change before launch.

Here's how it works:

Step 1: Pick an experience or event to attend

From listening parties and movie nights to journaling groups and morning coffee meetups, we're partnering with great local businesses to give you experiences you can't have anywhere else.

Step 2: Get matched

You'll be grouped with 4-6 Readi users in a chat lobby we're calling "Squads." Our algorithm matches you based on your common interests, and to make sure everyone is safe, you will always be in a group and in a public setting, NEVER 1-on-1.

Step 3: Meet your new friends!

When the timer at the top hits zero, you'll be given instructions on the exact meetup spot. Greet everyone and prepare to have a great time.

Step 4: Review, Add, and Repeat

Afterward, give your feedback on the event as a whole (like with DoorDash or a Lyft ride). And the best part? Only after you've met someone in person can you add them as a friend, just like in real life. Now you can grab your new friends and repeat!

For our local business partners, we're building a robust portal that allows you to turn your location into a meeting spot for new friends. Get more foot traffic, host and manage events easier, and invite past visitors back with ease!

The image above is an early work-in-progress version of the user interface. The final product will likely change before launch.

It's that simple. Now here's my ask: help us get it off the ground! Here's a breakdown of the estimated costs to build our platform (numbers recommended by advisors and professionals who have built their own startups):

We believe with $65k keeping up our hard work, we can build a solid first version of our platform to quickly generate revenue and scale the business. Our Fundraiser Transparency Page can be found here: https://bit.ly/3SKTqNY

So why should be a part of helping us bring this to life? The main reason is we've proven this works and that it is a big need in our communities. The Readi Team has already had some great traction:

• 50+ group meetups held in the past year
• 200+ active community members
• 6 early business partnerships established (and counting)
• 10 locals applied to be brand ambassadors
• 1st episode of a web series filmed (based on the experience of using Readi)

Some other awesome reasons:

• Our 3-person co-founding team is majority Black, woman, and LGBTQ-owned.
• We've reserved 1 million shares in the company for the future founding team and community.
• Great perks for being an early supporter, like lifetime access to Readi Plus (the premium version of the app), a limited edition Readi cardigan or hoodie, access to our Founders Club channels in Discord, special mentions in our content, and more!

We're telling an epic story about what building for community FIRST looks like. Readi is being built for the people with the people. Not for investors who don't care about the greater problem.

We have two options to fund this startup:

1) We can fund it ourselves without taking on venture capital.

2) We take on venture capital.

In an ideal world, we would rather not take VC money.

Why? For one thing, the numbers don't lie: VCs usually don't invest in people like us. Most of them don't see the value of diverse people building things that benefit humanity. They care about money, and money only.

Secondly, because they really only care about money, taking their money means they might push us to do things that hurt our community.

Ever wondered why so many social apps introduce wild changes to their platforms that make absolutely no sense? To appease their investors. Or why they allow dangerous activity and rhetoric to thrive on their platforms? Once again, because of pressure from investors to turn a profit.

We don't agree with that.

The only reason we're building Readi is that we see a wound in the world that needs to be healed: a lack of genuine human connection. With your help, we can make sure that no VC, politician, or outside party gets to mess that up.

The best indicator of a long and healthy life is the number of close friendships you have. By giving people a way to make those friends in real life, we can help improve the mental health and longevity of our communities one day at a time.

So what do you say: are you Readi?

Help us bring this dream to life! Make sure to follow us @getreadi on Instagram! Donate, share, and tag us! We love you all, and we hope by this time next year everyone is using Readi Social to explore the best things their community has to offer with a bunch of new friends! - Damien