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Kndrd operates a vetted, women-only social application in New York City, USA, designed to facilitate real-life friendships and shared experiences among its members. The platform enables users to post hangouts and join activities such as pilates, drinks, or concerts, specifically aiming to foster casual, in-person connections and combat loneliness, distinguishing itself from traditional networking or broad friend-making applications. Currently, Kndrd is available as an invite-only Testflight beta, featuring hand-selected, vetted members. The organization is self-funded by its founders and has not accepted outside investments to date, with no public metrics available regarding funding, revenue, or user count. Kndrd launched its invite-only beta in January 2024, founded by Sabrina Epstein and Tina Mai. Its business model centers on self-funded by founder savings from investment banking, no outside investments accepted to date.
Kndrd has raised $120K across 1 funding round.
Kndrd has raised $120K in total across 1 funding round.
Kndrd has raised $120K across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $120K Seed in March 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2019 | $120K Seed | — | Good Growth Capital | Announced |
Kndrd has raised $120K in total across 1 funding round.
Kndrd's investors include Good Growth Capital.
Kndrd is a social networking app designed to combat loneliness by facilitating real-world (IRL) hangouts and casual social connections in New York City.[1][4] It serves young adults, particularly in NYC, who crave spontaneous, utility-driven interactions like group activities or drinks after work, solving the problem of diminished serendipitous social opportunities outside institutions such as colleges or town squares.[1][4] Launched as an invite-only iOS beta, the app has driven over 500 user-organized hangouts and built a waitlist exceeding 6,000 NYC-based users, all while bootstrapped without external funding.[1][4]
Kndrd was founded by Gen-Z entrepreneurs Becca Epstein (25) and Tina Mai (18), who connected through high-school networks and now share a NYC studio apartment to build the app full-time.[1] Epstein quit her investment banking job in April 2024, while Mai took a leave from Stanford (started 2023) to join her.[1] The idea emerged from recognizing a post-pandemic loneliness epidemic, positioning Kndrd as a "mechanism" to shift users from screens to shared real-world experiences; they launched the Testflight beta last month (early 2024), hand-vetting members, and quickly gained traction with 500+ hangouts.[1] Note: While one profile lists a 2018 founding, recent coverage confirms active development and launch in 2024.[1][2]
Kndrd rides the wave of post-pandemic loneliness solutions, tapping into Gen-Z's demand for authentic IRL connections amid declining institutional social fabrics like college or town squares.[1][4] Its timing aligns with investor interest in AI-enhanced social tech—Epstein notes plans for recommendation engines, mirroring trends in personalized experiences seen in apps like Eventbrite or Nextdoor but with a hyper-local, casual twist.[1] Market forces favoring it include urban isolation in cities like NYC, rising mental health awareness, and a shift from passive scrolling (e.g., Instagram) to action-oriented platforms; by bootstrapping, it influences the ecosystem as a lean model for social startups, proving viral growth without VC (e.g., pitching Stanford competitions for future scale).[1]
Kndrd's bootstrapped momentum positions it for expansion beyond NYC, potentially integrating AI to suggest hyper-personalized hangouts and scaling to other cities.[1] Trends like AI-social fusion and IRL recovery will propel it, especially if it secures funding from January Stanford pitches, evolving from beta darling to a broader "casual connection" leader.[1] As urban loneliness persists, Kndrd could redefine social networks by prioritizing utility over endless feeds—watch for multi-city rollout and AI features to amplify its 6,000-user waitlist into mainstream adoption.[1][4]
