IRL \USA

IRL was an on-demand social scheduling platform that aimed to help users discover and plan real-world events with friends. The core problem it addressed was the fragmentation of social event planning across different platforms, providing a unified space for event discovery and management. Its value proposition lay in making it easier for users to find and coordinate activities with friends, effectively bringing online connections into offline experiences.

SECTOR Communication Services
PRODUCT TYPE Mobile App
TOTAL CASH BURNED $170.0M
FOUNDING YEAR 2018
END YEAR 2023

Discover the reason behind the shutdown and the market before & today

Failure Analysis

Failure Analysis

IRL struggled to differentiate itself in a saturated market dominated by tech giants. The strategic failure stemmed from an inability to secure a unique...

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Market Analysis

Market Analysis

Today, the social event planning space is dominated by large players with integrated platforms. Facebook Events, Eventbrite, and Meetup continue to lead, while AI...

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Startup Learnings

Startup Learnings

Insight 1: Understand the competitive landscape and identify sustainable differentiators early. Insight 2: Leverage modern cloud infrastructure for real-time data updates to enhance user...

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Market Potential

Market Potential

The Total Addressable Market (TAM) for social event planning remains substantial, with platforms like Facebook Events and Eventbrite dominating. However, the 'Final Boss' now...

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Difficulty

Difficulty

The description indicates that IRL is no longer operational and does not mention any successful exit or ongoing activities.

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Scalability

Scalability

The unit economics of IRL relied heavily on user growth and engagement, which are notoriously difficult to maintain in the crowded social space. Growth...

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Rebuild & monetization strategy: Resurrect the company

Pivot Concept

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EventGenius AI leverages artificial intelligence to offer hyper-personalized event recommendations and seamless integration with users' digital calendars and social platforms. By focusing on user preferences and past activities, it provides a unique, AI-driven social planning experience.

Suggested Technologies

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OpenAIVercelSupabase

Execution Plan

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Phase 1

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Step 1: AI-first prototype blueprint using OpenAI for personalized recommendation algorithms.

Phase 2

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Step 2: Distribution/Validation strategy through partnerships with local event organizers and digital marketing.

Phase 3

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Step 3: Growth loop focusing on user engagement metrics and referral incentives.

Phase 4

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Step 4: Moat strategy by developing proprietary AI models and securing exclusive partnerships.

Monetization Strategy

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Revenue streams include premium subscriptions for advanced features, affiliate marketing with event partners, and targeted advertising. Pricing strategy involves a freemium model to attract users, with tiered premium options offering additional value.

Disclaimer: This entry is an AI-assisted summary and analysis derived from publicly available sources only (news, founder statements, funding data, etc.). It represents patterns, opinions, and interpretations for educational purposes—not verified facts, accusations, or professional advice. AI can contain errors or ‘hallucinations’; all content is human-reviewed but provided ‘as is’ with no warranties of accuracy, completeness, or reliability. We disclaim all liability for reliance on or use of this information. If you are a representative of this company and believe any information is inaccurate or wish to request a correction, please click the Disclaimer button to submit a request.