Outernet has launched an app that helps users save events, restaurants and other places they discover online, then organise them into activities they can complete offline. Co-founders Danielle Egan and Athena Leong describe the service as a way to reduce the gap between seeing an idea on social media and acting on it.
The invite-only app has attracted around 18,000 users since entering the market about two months ago. It is currently available on iOS, while Android users can join a waiting list.
AI Organises Saved Posts and Links
Users can send posts directly to Outernet through the sharing menus in apps such as Instagram and TikTok. They can also paste website links, upload screenshots or photograph physical materials such as event flyers.
Outernet uses AI to identify details including dates, times, locations and descriptions. Scheduled events appear in a chronological feed, while places and activities without fixed dates are stored in separate sections.
Users can view saved locations on a map or add events to Apple Calendar and Google Calendar. The app also sends reminders intended to encourage users to complete activities they previously saved.
Completed visits can be marked with digital stamps. The founders are considering a passport-style record that would let users review and share the places they have visited, along with milestone-based rewards.
Founders Previously Organised Offline Social Events
The idea developed from Pursuit, a month-long scavenger hunt that Egan and Leong began organising in San Francisco three years ago. Its latest edition attracted participation equal to about 1.5% of the city’s population.
The founders said participants were often less interested in scavenger hunts themselves than in having a reason to leave home and meet other people. Their previous projects also included Sit Club, where attendees socialised while seated together, and Mehran’s Steakhouse, a temporary New York restaurant created from a viral online prank.
Egan previously worked in product business operations at LinkedIn. Leong studied computer science and child development before working in adventure game design.
Premium Subscription Supports Higher Saving Limits
Outernet offers a premium subscription for $6.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Paying members can save more items each day, and the founders said subscription revenue has already made the app profitable.
The startup may eventually work with local businesses and community organisers seeking to reach users searching for nearby activities. Its official website invites event organisers and businesses to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Egan and Leong are also holding informal discussions with potential investors. They said any future backers would need to support the company’s focus on playfulness and offline social activity.
The original report includes an invitation code, coffeewalk, that allows users to bypass the iOS waiting list.
Featured image credits: Relevance
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