Following last fall's $ 16 million Series B, the IRL Event Discovery Network is rolling out a new website that adds more social features to events, including profiles, chat, and the ability to join group events, among others. other things. With the changes, users will also be able to receive personalized event recommendations, attend group events, and talk about events with their friends, both on the web and on mobile devices. The combined efforts make IRL.com feel less like an online event search engine and more like a real social network.
The startup, which previously focused on real-world events, could have easily imploded last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which effectively shut down the events industry in person overnight. But instead it quickly rotated its event tracking app to include virtual events. In April, IRL adapted to government blockades and restrictions on in-person meetings by indexing online events, such as live streaming concerts, esports events, Zoom parties and more.
The changes, in a sense, made IRL more accessible because it became a tool that anyone could use, not just those with the time and money to travel and attend real-world events.
In line with these changes, the company also redesigned its mobile app last year to make it easier for users to find new events to attend remotely.
It has organized events in categories such as games, music, tv, wellness, sports, podcasts, lifestyle and more, including those from partners like TikTok, Meetup, Twitch, Spotify, SoundCloud, HBO, Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, and others. (We are also seeing Apple TV + shows on the site, but IRL cannot officially confirm whether Apple is a partner. However, we are told that IRL has permission to view these events.)
The new IRL website is intended to better reflect the recently redesigned mobile experience.
When users sign up for IRL.com for the first time, they can choose the categories of events they are interested in and find their friends who are already using the service.
Also, like the mobile app, you can now click the filters at the top of the website to detail events by category, such as games, music, TV, sports, wellness, lifestyle, podcasts, and others. And you can filter to see the events taking place this weekend or view IRL's "Top Picks" suggestions.
The site directs users to create their own group events with friends through the new built-in chat feature, which was previously only available on mobile devices.
"Because everyone is home, there is a huge demand for a web messaging service," notes IRL Founder and CEO Abraham Shafi.
She explains that the startup's focus on messaging as the foundation for a group is what allows IRL to differentiate itself from other group-focused products. Facebook groups, for example, are built around the idea of discussion boards, he says. But IRL is building its social network around messaging instead.
"There is no group chat app that even allows you to add events," says Shafi. "We are seeing that it becomes really valuable to all groups that have upcoming and planned activities. It could be a TV show that you really like. Or it could be your friends playing Between us or play video games. [On IRL], you can imagine, literally, any kind of group, like a book club that meets weekly and has weekly events coming up, "he says.
Additionally, students who sign up with an .edu email address can now find campus events and groups only available to those attending the same school. These are not typically indexed publicly and will not appear on the IRL home page.
The startup's focus on group messaging has helped the app grow despite the pandemic.
The company now reports over 10 million monthly active users, and its group messaging feature has grown about 30% month-over-month since August. Today, there are over 30 million chats sent on IRL per day, with more than a billion chats having been sent to date, Shafi says.
Over time, IRL plans to expand the site to include more local events and deepen its relationship with partners.
For example, the IRL TikTok account was the first to reach over one million followers. But currently, all the events that TikTok publishes on the site are hand-curated. IRL says it's working on a deeper integration that will help get more TikTok content, including key trends.
The company also expects to attract more influencers with the launch of the website, such as those who want to build a name for themselves as a "cool curator" of a specific type of event - like the Sneakerheads account, for example, which tracks drops. of sneakers.
As users participate in the website and app by following events, adding friends and participating in chat, IRL will be able to provide better advice on the type of events they may want to try next.
And as the world recovers from COVID, allowing for in-person events once again, the company believes usage will increase.
"When he comes back in person, because it is inevitable, we will support him for sure," says Shafi, adding that he expects IRL to "explode".
"We will not take away the virtual. The virtual will always be there ... honestly, it will probably always be a hybrid, "he says." This pandemic has allowed us to focus on something that will actually help us grow once we are able to support both the real and the remote. "
"The team and I are very grateful to have had the opportunity to build something profoundly meaningful these days - even though it would have felt like we were screwed at first," adds Shafi.
Initially, IRL tested the renewal of the web app with existing users only. But the relaunch of the site now makes the changes accessible to everyone.
