As our worlds have become increasingly urbanised and everything from eating out to finding the love of your life happens digitally, many, especially young people, have felt a deep loneliness and longing for connection and community. This is evident in the spurt of clubs and community-driven events that Bengaluru has seen since the pandemic. But loneliness is a global phenomenon and people aren’t just trying to combat it in Bengaluru.
Timeleft, a Paris-based company with a presence in 60 countries and 300 cities, which recently launched in Mumbai and Bengaluru, has been doing the same by using a personality algorithm to bring people together for meals. “We all meet other people digitally and have thousands of connections; but the truth is, we barely connect in real life, so there’s a huge space to grow real life communities. Unlike dating apps, you can meet people without any agenda – you can find a partner, friends, business connections, you don’t know what,” says Tu-Han Vincent, the head of operations for the Asia and Pacific region.
Every user is prompted to take part in an assessment; the questions in this quick test range from basic age and occupation ones, to ones that try to gauge your personal style, your preference for talking about the news (or not) over dinner, how social you are and even whether you enjoy ‘politically incorrect’ humour.
As Vincent explains, the goal isn’t to put together five identical individuals but to have a mix of characters that are likely to get along. “The most important elements for us are to have an age gap within 10 years, so people share the same stage in life, diversity in terms of gender, and of course, a balance of introverts and extroverts. We go deeper and deeper with the matching criteria as we have more users in a zone,” says Vincent.
While exciting in its spontaneity, meeting strangers completely blind, without vetting them through chats like dating apps allow, may cause some, especially women, to hit the breaks. But Vincent shares that the venture has put safety measures in place. “We’re constantly in touch with restaurant managers and we’ve been really careful with the areas and restaurants we choose. We also make sure that we don’t have a solo woman at any table. There is also a trust and safety team that is really careful and reads everything [any negative feedback that’s reported],” he assures.
The cost of getting on the app, too, is more exclusive in India compared than other countries and their income levels, with a range between `1,000 to `1,800 per month based on the subscription period, acting as a deterrent for miscreants. Currently only available in central Bengaluru, the app has partnered with 81 restaurants in the area like Toast and Tonic, Foo (Brigade Road), Misu (St Marks Road), Lupa, and more.