Thread by @pareshmukh

We're building the next big thing in consumer social since the past couple of months.

A thread on why do we think so👇

At Closer, we're redefining how you discover new people whom you can date, be friends with or professionally network with.

@Facebook,@instagram,@Snap have done really well to bring offline communities online but they are terrible when it comes to DISCOVERY.

Discovering new people to connect on these platforms is hard due to the trust deficit.

And trust is critical while forming new relationships.

Along with trust, advanced privacy settings and more control on whom one wants to connect with are required for discovery-first platforms.

This helps people be more authentic and vulnerable which helps in making real connections - which many users complain are missing today.

So, what exactly are we building today?

Closer is a social network of college students, where one can discover other students, make friends and/or date them.

Think of something like a Social Feed meets @Tinder but with verified users having advanced privacy and user controls.

So, if you want to connect with someone who posts dank memes/ is from a particular college/city, you can now do it, without worrying about authenticity.

Or if you want to ask out someone you already know IRL, you can search and confess to them anonymously.

Not only this, but you also get 24 anonymous hours to impress them and only if you still want to continue the conversation, you reveal your identity.

Check out the demo here: bit.ly/closerdemo

And the app: bit.ly/closerdate

This concept of trusted, location-based communities with shared interests having discovery at their center can easily be transcended beyond college once we figure out reputation and portable identities.

It will be a mix of College, Work and P2P Credentials and Social Identities.

[Some Numbers]

~1000 students (30%) registered within the first 48hrs when we launched in BITS Pilani as a web-app on Feb. 11.

~800 students (25%) registered within the first 30hrs when we launched in BITS Goa on Feb. 17 post which we had to shut down due to some reasons.

~450 students (25%) amongst the previously registered users downloaded and registered on the android app (bit.ly/closerdate) within the first 12hrs when we launched yesterday.

What started as a fun project for a friend turned out to be what people really wanted.🚀

Eventually, Closer will be your trusted community wherever you go. It will also be/have:
i. Paid (subscriptions)
ii. Centered around advanced user controls and privacy settings.
iii. Shopping/Gifting options.
iv. Have a physical component to it.
v. Like a game, really engaging.

Lastly, it has been really exciting to build Closer along with
@chigup36 and @kickasskabootar. Also, a big thanks to @kunksed for supporting us throughout.

@akhil_bits & @manas_saloi thanks to you too!

We want Closer to be your trusted community on your phone, wherever you go.

Would love to know what you guys think of Closer on the following aspects and the best way to develop it:
Idea/Concept - @paulg , @warikoo
Trust - @kunalb11
Consumer Social - @eriktorenberg
Dating - @BrianNorgard @jmj