The Business of Belonging

We have solved the problem of information. We have solved the problem of goods delivery. We have not solved the problem of loneliness. In fact, we have exacerbated it.

The "Third Place" Crisis

Sociologists talk about the "Third Place"—not home, not work, but the community gathering spot (churches, pubs, clubs). These are dying.

The Startup Opportunity

There is a massive market gap for "Community-as-a-Service."

• Niche Cohorts: Paid communities for specific interests (e.g., "Dads who code," "Female founders in bio-tech").
• IRL Activation: Apps that use tech to get you off tech and into the real world (e.g., dinner party matching algorithms).

The startups that figure out how to engineer genuine human connection—not just "likes" and "follows"—will define the next decade. Because in a world of AI agents, human presence is the ultimate luxury good.