source: https://www.buildirl.com

Gen Z and Millennials are seeking more IRL. High end social clubs are on the rise. Flip phones are back in. We want to spend more on experiences, less on stuff. Remote work is forcing everyone to seek in-person connection and community elsewhere.

Despite this, existing social clubs are struggling to survive and not enough new ones are being created. Why?

Because IRL community building is ridiculously hard and financially unviabletoday.

IRL builders are superhuman heroes who do this as a labor of love. They have limited to no support. Unsurprisingly, they are burning out.

A long list of tech startups (let’s call it the Meetup 2.0 graveyard) think what they need is a fancier “member management tool” - messaging, member profiles, etc.

They are wrong!

What community builders told us they actually need is:

Funding & resources (and a way to ask for it that’s not awkward)
New member outreach for their niche (insta is crowding out local players)
Execution support (finding space, planning, marketing, logistics and chores)
Patronage and encouragement (to know that their work matters)

Inside the Clubhouse

I'm Bullish on Gatekeeping and IRL Parties