The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

In this week's episode, we speak with Maxime Barbier, founder and CEO of TimeLeft. The fast-growing social dining platform is bringing strangers together for shared experiences around the world. Launched in 2020, TimeLeft has evolved through four major pivots before finding its winning formula: small-group dinners in cities worldwide. Today, the subscription-based service operates in 250+ cities across 50+ countries, matching groups of six for midweek restaurant meetups, with new formats including women-only nights, bar meetups, and even group runs. Barbier shares the lessons learned from his early career as a nightclub promoter, through building social media brands, to creating a platform designed to fight loneliness by fostering in-person connections. TimeLeft deliberately avoids the trappings of dating apps—no profile pictures, minimal preconceptions—to focus on authentic interactions and friendships, though romance sometimes blossoms. The company’s matching algorithm uses personality testing, language preferences, budget, and group balance to create engaging, comfortable evenings for its 3 million users. With word-of-mouth growth fuelled by media interest in combating loneliness, TimeLeft has become a leader in the emerging “IRL tech” space. Looking ahead, Barbier envisions TimeLeft not only helping people meet new friends but also strengthening existing friendships—potentially using AI to prompt and arrange meetups. For him, the mission is clear: use technology to create more meaningful moments in the limited “time left” we all have.

Mark Rollings, Co-Founder at Paranormal Date by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

Marco van der Woude, Breeze App by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

Adam Cohen-Aslatei, CEO of Three Day Rule by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

Richa Rival, CEO and Founder of Walnut App by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

Eventful is a dating app focused on facilitating offline dating experiences to combat user burnout from traditional apps. In this episode, Tegan discussed Eventful's matching process based on shared interests and date activity suggestions. She also goes into detail about the company's origin, approach to dating and event booking and focus on mental well-being. Tegan also talks about the evolution of dating apps, the current status of a London launch and future vision.

Violet Lim, CEO of Lunch Actually by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

In this episode,

Pieter Reuse, Founder of BeeDee by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

In this episode, Ethan talks to industry consultant Bill Alena to discuss his innovative approach to dating apps, focusing exclusively on the 18-28 demographic and creating a vibrant, music-driven user experience. Ethan shared how his own experiences, combined with those of his friends, led him to realize that the current dating landscape wasn’t truly meeting the needs of younger users. While apps like TikTok were capturing gen Z’s attention with energetic, engaging content, dating apps felt outdated and lacked excitement.

Brownie Marie, Founder of Fox Hunters Club by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

Hari Gopal - Founder, Hearts Dating by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

Alexandra Beaumont, CEO of Once, Social Discovery Group by The GDI & Social Discovery Podcast

In this episode, Christof introduces us to Hornet, the fun, go-to app for fun, engaging chat with gay men. We hear about the background behind setting up the platform, which has more than 100 million users across the globe, and what key market trends Christof is seeing in the market.

UrbanMatch was founded with a bold vision: to redefine how the South Asian diaspora connects and forges meaningful romantic relationships. In this episiode, Aryavrat shares the company's story and how it has grown into a thriving community and become a matchmaking platform tailored to South Asians living abroad.

In this episode. Ankit introduces us to Flamme - the dating app for couples who feel disconnected due to busy work schedules or long distance, helping them connect better with gamified healthy habits and an AI coach. He shares his thoughts on what he is seeing in the online dating and matchmaking market, what advice he would give to those in the industry and how he sees it playing out in 2025.

In this episode, Kaushik introduces us to Flutrr, which is building long-term relationships and meaningful connections in India. He shares the story of the company and key updates about its app and technology, plus looks ahead to what the industry has in store for 2025.

In this episode, we talk to Colin about DOWN App and what role it plays in the online dating and matchmaking market. He tells us more about what the business and what is in store for 2025, as well as sharing his views on the current state of the industry

In this episode, we hear from Mark on the state of current online dating and matchmaking market and his thoughts on Social Discovery and what might happen in the future. As the only agency-consultancy to focus entirely on this market, we ask Mark what his advice would be to startups looking to launch their brand. We also talk about maintaining a healthy worklife balance, staying ahead of industry trends and have a quickfire round of questions with Mark, which includes favourite podcast/book and what he would be doing if he wasn't involved in the online dating industry.

In this episode, David talks about his business and what makes it different to other brands in the online dating and matchmaking market. He also shares his thoughts on how the industry has developed since he was been involved, as well as what he thinks the next 12 months has in store. We also talk about Inner Circle's plans and what it is currrently working on, especially when safeguarding its users.