How Timeleft Solved the Chicken and Egg Problem

Starting a social networking app often faces the "chicken and egg" problem: how do you attract users without a community, and how do you build a community without users?

Timeleft, an app designed to connect strangers for group dinners, cracked this problem with a clever strategy.

The premise of Timeleft is simple yet unique. It offers users the chance to meet 5 strangers for dinner in their city, fostering conversations and connections outside their usual social circles.

Unlike dating apps or traditional meetup platforms, Timeleft focuses on casual, friendly interactions.

But this concept required a critical mass of users to work—a classic case of needing both supply (users) and demand (community activity).

The Solution: A Membership Threshold

Timeleft tackled this issue by setting a clear requirement: the app would only launch in a city once 151 people had signed up.

This threshold created 2 effects:

1. Scarcity and Exclusivity: The limited availability encouraged people to sign up quickly to ensure their city could reach the goal.

2. Functional Viability: By waiting until 151 members were onboard, Timeleft guaranteed enough participants for meaningful group dinners from the start.

This approach ensured a vibrant community right away, sidestepping the risk of early adopters logging in to find an empty platform.

Early Monetization Strategies

Timeleft also avoided another common pitfall for startups: delaying monetization.

The app charged users per dinner or offered a monthly subscription, with prices starting at around $26 in most countries. You even get discounts or can buy 3-month subscriptions.

This strategy not only provided early revenue but also helped filter for users genuinely interested in participating, further strengthening the community.

TimeLeft’s Journey to $10M ARR

It took Timeleft 3 years and 4 pivots to (literally) earn their first Euro.

But only 7 more months to reach €1M of MRR. And another 7 months to reach €10M of MRR.

They are on track to target €25M in 2025.

Nothing scales as well as a software business, and nothing creates a moat for that business more effectively than network effects. Timeleft has nailed both and it will only grow exponentially from here.

The combination of a clear value proposition, smart launch strategy, and early monetization fueled this rapid success.

Rave Reviews and User Insights

Timeleft has received overwhelmingly positive reviews on platforms like Reddit.

Users appreciate its focus on meaningful interactions, noting that it’s a refreshing alternative to Meetup groups or traditional networking events. Many highlight the diversity of participants and the engaging conversations as key benefits. It is super safe for women to participate in groups.

While it’s not a dating app, Timeleft’s ability to help people step outside their usual social circles has resonated strongly. By blending in-person interaction with minimal technological barriers, the app has carved out a unique space in the social networking landscape.

Timeleft benefited massively from the loneliness epidemic and remote work. By addressing the chicken and egg problem head-on, they created a sustainable, scalable platform that thrives on human connection.

Top Tweets of the day

1/

TikTok is getting banned in USA as of Sunday. Americans are switching to RedNote which is another Chinese app because they hate Zuckerberg's Instagram Reels as an alternative.

Main benefit of TikTok is it can target a specific country. You can buy USA E-SIM and target Americans from outside of America. It is extremely localized. You can't do that on Instagram.

Another important point is mentioned in the comments section:

"the biggest issue with reels is they need to protect their current influencer base. if randos start getting super famous on IG bc of reels, the legacy influencers would be pissed. that’s why the reels feed has always been less lottery style than tiktok."

2/

AI Agents can do Executive Assistant (EAs) work.

Most EAs/VAs often do tasks once they really get to know their boss.

Turns out, you can give your AI Agent the same instructions like SOPs, Checklists, and Templates that you give to your VAs and it'll just do them.

I never thought EAs/VAs would be automated but here we are.

3/

Use AI as a personal tutor.

I sometimes ask it to use metaphors and analogies on extremely complex ML/AI topics that I know nothing about and it often comes up with easy explanations. You can simply say ELI5, ELI3, or ELI10 and it works.

Rabbit Holes

1. Why we can't focus. by Jared Henderson

2. How to Target the US With a New TikTok Account? by Guillaume

3. FREE and CERTIFIED course by HuggingFace on AI Agents! by HuggingFace

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