Entrepreneur Nicola Gamby’s CLIQ social networking app has already raised $646,000
Nicola Gamby, co-founder of CLIQ.
Nicola Gamby
When Nicola Gamby, a 30-year-old entrepreneur, moved to London after the pandemic, was craving a community of friends, but was shocked to be isolated in one of the world’s largest cities. Ta.
Gunby, co-founder of the social and community networking app CLIQ, is a native of Nottingham, UK, and settled in London in 2021 with his partner Jason Iliffe after a stint in Australia.
Gambie and Ilif were hoping to be embedded in the city’s social scene, but soon It turns out that meeting people is a struggle.
“How can you be in a city with millions of people, but do you have a hard time finding a real connection?” Gambie said. “I felt that was really impossible.”
Nicola Gambie and her husband Jason Illif co-founded CLIQ.
Nicola Gamby
The Gumbie tried everything. She attended a networking event for female founders, but the companies discovered too. She even turned to apps like Bumble She was found to be a “super transaction” with the Facebook group being “very obsolete”.
Gunby and Iiiffe soon realized that the issue was much bigger than they did, and began meditating on the idea of a social networking platform that connects people in real life.
After making some plans, they hired an app agency to build the bare bones of the app and tried it out in college.
Founded in February 2023, CLIQ is described as an antidote to stereotypical social media platforms. Users can participate in communities focused on interests and hobbies ranging from running, reading, pilates and faith-based groups.
The purpose of the community is to arrange events so that users can meet in person and burn friendship.
“It’s just that it’s easier to meet people in a real way… and teach people to call. This means that the screen time is very high and we can’t take the phone. It’s extremely difficult with this day and age that I’m obsessed with,” Gumby said.
Since its release, CLIQ raised £528,900 ($646,000) Funding and building bases for 100,000 users worldwide, leading non-UK markets in the US, Australia and Bali
Loneliness is a global issue
Creating CLIQ comes when people search for connections.The trend of loneliness. ”
Gallup’s global loneliness pollCollecting data in 2023 showed that one in five people surveyed around the world felt that “many days” were “many days.” The same demographic of people was more likely to say they felt angry or physical pain.
General Vivec Mercy, US surgeon The 2023 report, “The Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” highlights the growing issue of loneliness across generations, and physical health that contributes to dementia, stroke, and even premature birth. It emphasizes that there is a great risk to the
“It’s a 100% global issue,” explained Gambie. “The pandemic has made us more introverted like people… I think it scared us a little bit of socializing again.
“It’s coming out of the work now, and people want it in real life, in connection,” she added.
According to Gunby, the issue of loneliness is also exacerbated by technology and social media.
“We feel very connected through our phones so we can see what our friends and influencers are constantly doing, but many of these people who are not actually visible are. It feels like we’re connected on a surface level, but when we see it, it’s deep and we’re not really that way,” she said.
“The crisis of loneliness is rising and many people are looking for connections, but they haven’t done anything to resolve this.”
US surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently wrote in “The Oprah Podcast” that one solution to loneliness is to invest in three things: relationships, service and community, rather than focusing more on himself. , said it was about paying attention to our outside world.
“When we focus on what leads to something bigger than ourselves, it’s time to actually find joy,” he told Oprah Winfrey on a January episode of her podcast.
“True Social Network”
Gunby said the reason CLIQ works is because the community operates around a common interest and purpose. She explained the distinction between social networking and social media apps.
The social networking app said it cites Facebook old-fashioned example of its connections with friends rather than about content consumption.
“The younger generations, and we talk to a lot of them… They’ve never really experienced what a true social network is,” she said. “Ever since then, all platforms have been social media. For example, Instagram, Tiktok, for example, we’re just consuming. We’re scrolling. We’re obsessed with our mobile phones. ”
“We don’t actually interact with anyone. It’s robbing that face-to-face interaction,” she added.
CLIQ collaborated with Gymshark to host a walking event.
cliq
Cliq is the middle ground between “a lovely social media feel” and meeting people easily, she said.
“That’s why I wanted to connect the hybrid model online before connecting offline,” she said.
She noted that social events can often be difficult for more introverted personalities, and it can be troubling to start a conversation with a random person when there is no similarity. With CLIQ, activities are a common interest, she added.
“So you go to the Run Club as a social, you’re really shy and you may not want to open it, but you can talk about the run. You go to the Book Club. Maybe I might not want to talk about myself, but you talk about books,” Gumby said.
“If you have a common interest with someone, or if you have done that activity, or if it’s the focus of the community about something, you have something to open up.”