IRL: The Next Theme of the Internet and Why We Invested in River

We are witnessing explosive growth in social media and influencers. Some of these personalities have built teams and revenue streams that rival corporations. For instance, Mr. Beast, one of the top earners on YouTube, has a 250-person operations team and generated $82 million between June 2022 and 2023, boasting 242 million followers. 

This rise of influencers is tied to the exponential growth of their followers—fans who trust these personal brands, crave closer engagement with their favorite personalities, and are willing to spend significantly on related merchandise. The global influencer marketing market reflects this, growing at a CAGR of 32.4% from 2019 to 2024, reaching $24 billion in 2024. Moreover, companies earn $5.20 for every dollar invested in influencer advertising, demonstrating the immense spending potential of fans on brands and merchandise endorsed by influencers. Both established businesses and emerging influencers have realized the economic power of their fanbase. Meanwhile, next-generation Web3 companies are shifting from building customer bases to cultivating communities and even cult-like followings.

Community building and engagement are crucial for influencers and businesses alike. This trend is evident in the shift of social media platforms. We’ve moved from general audience-building platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to community-focused platforms such as Discord, Reddit, and Twitch, as well as exclusive content platforms like Patreon, Mighty, and Circle. However, these platforms mainly focus on online engagement, leaving a significant gap when it comes to in-person events. This space, once dominated by Eventbrite and Meetup, has been overshadowed by online growth, but the tide is starting to shift.

We are hitting a ceiling with online connections and engagement.

Many efforts to advance virtual interactions have ended in disappointment—whether it's the empty Metaverses or plummeting fancy goggle sales. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the value of real-world interactions, as many people realized the limitations of social media in fulfilling all their social needs. As the pandemic caused people to disperse from 'tier 1' cities like London, San Francisco, and New York to smaller cities, there has been a growing hunger to meet like-minded individuals in person. The quick rise and fall of online event platforms that became just another feature post-pandemic further illustrates this point.

Industry leaders recognize the growing need and opportunity for in-person events, as discussed in this podcast (3:01 - 5:31) or video. Humans, despite being globally connected 24/7, yearn to build deeper communities and identities rooted in local, accessible, real-world experiences. This is evident in the rise of ambitious concepts like the Network State.

It is at this intersection of dichotomous reality where we identified the opportunity at River: 

What is this reality? It's the rise of personal brands and their communities, democratized by social media, creating a level playing field for anyone with a mobile device and internet connection. At the same time, the increasing boredom and superficiality of online interactions are pushing people to seek more meaningful connections offline. The subcultures and cults formed online will thrive even more through real-world interactions. We believe this is a core theme of the next-generation internet. 

Existing platforms focused on offline interactions fail to seize this opportunity. They either cater to large-scale corporate events or are outdated ticketing platforms that haven't evolved beyond basic interfaces. None provide the ‘aha’ moment to truly engage users or create a vibrant marketplace.  

Raechel is uniquely positioned at the intersection of this online-offline growth. With extensive experience as a marketing executive, she has led event marketing, community engagement, and digital campaigns for major  brands like Intercom, Meta, LinkedIn, and ServiceNow, as well as other leading companies like Mercury Bank, Twilio, Baakt, Fireblocks, and Toply. As the creator of 'All-in-Meetups,' she has hosted over 300 events with 2,500 attendees in 50 cities, demonstrating the power of in-person gatherings. Her understanding of this market gives her a vision that sets her apart from other founders.

While organizing these offline events at scale, Raechel encountered the limitations and inefficiencies of existing solutions, which inspired her to build something new. She was joined by Ryan, a data science and AI expert, and their longtime friend Bernard, a seasoned software engineer from Poland. After raising $150k in an angel round from Jason Calacanis and Balaji Srinivasan, the team quickly developed an MVP and gained significant traction within a year. They attracted high-profile communities like The All-In Podcast, This Week in Startups, The Tim Ferriss Show, Superteam, Solana Foundation,  My First Million, DeGods, and more. 

River is a unique events platform that allows global brands to let members of their community host events on their behalf. River introduces a new concept of "crowd-sourced" hosts, enabling fans/community members to organize their own events without data-sharing concerns or significant effort from event managers. This empowers brands to scale events globally, engage more deeply with their fan base, and unlock the economic potential of their communities. So far, River has powered over 2,000 events, organized by 3,000 crowdsourced hosts, with 55,000 attendees in more than 150 cities—all achieved with a fraction of the effort compared to other event platforms. 

The founder’s vision is to create the first community operating system that transforms audiences into engaged communities. In a market dominated by CRMs and event ticketing platforms, River is building a three-sided marketplace for community managers, sponsors, and hosts. It’s not just about engagement; it's about unlocking the economic potential within communities through features like a sponsorship marketplace, social credit system, and marketplace for goods and services. Although River will appear as a Web2 platform to users, the founders plan to abstract blockchain technology, which will be crucial for powering the social credit system and enabling community economies on River. 

To support this bold vision, Blockwall co-led their $1.6m pre-seed round with Blue Wire Capital and other investors, including Blockchain Founders Capital, Solana Foundation, Very Early Ventures, and Launch Fund.

Do you have a thriving community and want to learn how River can help?

• Tim Ferriss used River to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his podcast, bringing 4,000 fans together across 150+ cities on a single day.
• Superteam uses River to host 100+ IRL watch parties during their monthly livestream of the Solana Ecosystem Call.
• This Week in Startups uses River to host Founder Fridays jam sessions globally every month (founders only!).
• The All-In Podcast used River to power 20+ unofficial side events during the All-In Summit in LA.

Please feel free to reach out to the founders at rae@getriver.io, ryan@getriver.io, berni@getriver.io, or to me at rajeevan@blockwall.vc.

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