Nowadays it’s a lot more common to spend time alone than it is to spend time with friends and family. San Francisco-based startup IRL (In Real Life) is on a mission to change that.
The social planning app recently raised $16 million in a Series B to help bring people together during the pandemic. IRL’s free-to-use platform provides users with a central space to discover and share virtual events with loved ones.
The additional funding will be used to build out IRL’s web product and expand the company’s global reach. The company is also looking to add three engineers and an illustrator to its team.
“At IRL we are dedicated to building a social product that helps you spend more [virtual] time together, not more time on the app,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.
The company recently launched its In Remote Life initiative, which includes a number of new features and tools to help users plan their remote work days. IRL completely overhauled its national directory of events in March to include local events that users can join remotely. IRL’s new programming features an array of virtual activities to attend, from live concerts to live cooking demonstrations, art classes and more.
HBO, TikTok and Soundcloud use IRL to promote their own digital events, programs and premieres. The app has remained at the No. 1 spot in the Apple App Store for the past six months, according to Crunchbase.
The startup recently launched an event network for college students. Those interested can sign up with a student email address and immediately gain access to all calendars, events and active groups on their campus.
“It’s hard enough to keep up with everything happening on campus without a pandemic, with group chats and flyer boards dominating how we keep in touch with what’s going on, it has gotten even harder without being able to be on campus,” the spokesperson continued.
The company’s college network consists of over 100 educational institutions including Harvard University, the University of Southern California, Columbia University and New York University.
“In these times, we believe it’s more important than ever to spend meaningful time with your friends. We want to help you do this. Our mission hasn’t changed even though our lives temporarily have,” the company said in a statement.
The round, led by Goodwater Capital, brings the company’s total financing to $27 million, according to Crunchbase. Additional investors Goodwater Capital, Founders Fund, Floodgate and Raine Group LLC participated in the round.
