Fighting social isolation with LikeMinded
In the wake of global isolation, one entrepreneur saw an opportunity to reconnect people through shared experiences. Meet Amber Maine, the founder of LikeMinded, a social connection platform that's reimagining how we meet new people and attend events. With a background in biomedical science and a passion for human psychology, Amber has leveraged her unique perspective to create a SaaS solution that addresses the growing problem of social isolation. LikeMinded connects users based on shared interests and events, facilitating in-person meetups and fostering genuine connections. In this interview, Amber shares her journey, challenges, and insights on building an impact-driven startup in the social connection space.
Trusting Your Intuition in Entrepreneurship
One of the most striking aspects of Amber's approach to building LikeMinded is her reliance on intuition. While many entrepreneurs are told to be data-driven at all costs, Amber's experience suggests that there's value in trusting your gut—especially in the early stages of a startup.
"Intuition is actually really heavily based in science," Amber explains. "It's a culmination of your own specific life experiences and your subconscious understanding and ability to link those things to your direct context in what's happening right now."
This intuition-led approach led to two key initiatives for LikeMinded:
The creation of a WhatsApp group as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
The development of a "Super Host" program to train event organizers
Both of these initiatives weren't meticulously planned but rather emerged from Amber's intuitive understanding of her market and users' needs.
Lesson for Impact Entrepreneurs: Don't dismiss your intuition. While data is crucial, your lived experiences and subconscious pattern recognition can guide you to innovative solutions. Test your intuitive ideas with low-risk experiments to validate them quickly.
Solving the Chicken-and-Egg Problem in Two-Sided Marketplaces
LikeMinded faces a common challenge for two-sided marketplaces: how to attract both event organizers and event-goers simultaneously. Amber's team came up with a clever solution to this problem.
"We have effectively mitigated that chicken and egg problem," Amber says. "You can copy and paste any link from any events on the internet, pretty much into the app directly. And the app will just populate that automatically, instantaneously as an event."
This approach allows LikeMinded to populate its platform with events without relying solely on event organizers to create listings. It's a strategy reminiscent of how Airbnb initially populated its platform by cross-posting listings from Craigslist.
Lesson for Impact Entrepreneurs: When building a two-sided marketplace, look for creative ways to provide value to one side of the market while you build the other. This can help you reach critical mass more quickly.
The Journey to Product-Market Fit
For Amber and LikeMinded, the search for product-market fit is an ongoing process. Amber defines their core loop as:
Users swipe on events they like
Users match with potential event companions
Users chat and connect
Users attend the event together and have a good time
"That is the definition of product market fit for us," Amber explains. "We're really gunning for that."
To achieve this, LikeMinded is focusing on continuous user research, testing, and iteration. They're particularly working on improving the group chat feature to facilitate easier connections between matched users.
Lesson for Impact Entrepreneurs: Define what product-market fit looks like for your specific solution. Then, focus relentlessly on closing the loop between user acquisition and delivering the core value of your product.
Leveraging AI for User Experience
An interesting feature of LikeMinded is its use of AI to help users create events. Amber explains, "You can literally just type in, 'Want to go for a walk in Albert Park on Saturday.' And the app will just use AI to populate that for you."
This feature lowers the barrier to entry for users who might be intimidated by the idea of "hosting" an event, making it easier for casual meetups to be organized through the platform.
Lesson for Impact Entrepreneurs: Look for ways to use technology, including AI, to simplify user interactions and lower barriers to engagement with your product.
Building Community Beyond the App
Amber's approach to growing LikeMinded goes beyond just developing the app. She's created a "Super Host" program, an 8-week online course designed to help event organizers level up their skills. This program serves multiple purposes:
It provides early monetization for the startup
It creates a pool of skilled event organizers for the platform
It builds a community around the LikeMinded brand
"Long-term, I also see it as a strategy because we will be obviously linking LikeMinded as a platform throughout that program," Amber says.
Lesson for Impact Entrepreneurs: Look for opportunities to build community and provide value beyond your core product. This can create additional revenue streams and strengthen your brand's ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
Trust your intuition, especially in the early stages of your startup. Use low-risk experiments to validate intuitive ideas quickly.
When building a two-sided marketplace, find creative ways to provide value to one side while building the other.
Define what product-market fit looks like for your specific solution and focus on closing the loop between user acquisition and core value delivery.
Use technology, including AI, to simplify user interactions and lower barriers to engagement.
Look for opportunities to build community and provide value beyond your core product.
Don't be afraid of some controversy or criticism—it can be a sign you're truly innovating.
Amber Maine's journey with LikeMinded offers valuable insights for impact entrepreneurs and social designers looking to make a difference in the world. Her approach combines intuition with data-driven iteration, community building with technological innovation, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. As we grapple with increasing social isolation in our digital age, startups like LikeMinded are paving the way for more meaningful connections and shared experiences.
For those embarking on their own impact entrepreneurship journey, Amber's experiences serve as both inspiration and a practical guide. Whether you're tackling social isolation or another pressing societal issue, remember that your intuition, combined with rapid experimentation and a focus on solving real user problems, can lead to innovative solutions that make a genuine impact.