In a world where the digital sphere is playing an increasingly central role, Meeters has the ambition of bringing the focus back to people and to the importance of sharing.

The startup based in Verona, which has joined the LifeGate Way ecosystem — the group's subsidiary with the goal of creating a network of sustainable startups focused on open innovation — organises day activities such as trips, trekking, aperitivos, dinners, events, wine tastings at wineries, and cultural visits to villages and the most beautiful art cities in Italy, with the aim of promoting connection between people, drawing them away from social networks, and fostering healthy, lasting friendships.

How Meeters came about

It was 2017 when Davide Zanon had the idea of organising spontaneous, free meet-ups arranged via social media to go and photograph the most beautiful spots in the mountains. When 150 people turned up at the sixth gathering, Zanon realised there was a tremendous need for social connection, came to understand how people often struggle to find friends with whom to share the same passions, and above all saw the potential of a project that could put people back at the centre. This is how Meeters was born, thanks also to the contribution of Claudio Perlini, Zanon's business partner, who was later joined by Francesco Nazari Fusetti — among other things the former founder of ScuolaZoo — first as an investor and subsequently as a director.

All you need to do is find the right activity on the website, get to know the participants in the group chat, spend time in good company and safety with people who share the same interests, and stay in touch even after the outing. All this for an annual membership fee of 29 euros. Technology, tourism and community: these are the three watchwords.

Technology because Meeters has developed an app for meeting new people — it is not a dating app, the founders are keen to point out — with which to stay in touch even after events. Tourism because the startup offers a range of out-of-town activities designed for locals rather than tourists, with over 700 itineraries totalling around 300 events per month. Experiences aimed at (re)discovering the local area, accompanied by the best professional local guides. And finally, community: over four years of activity, Meeters has managed to gather over 40,000 members (mostly over 40), distributed mainly across northern and central Italy.

The crowdfunding campaign

Despite the setback caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Meeters is recording healthy growth, reflecting the desire for normality and leisure that has accompanied us following this last dark year. So, having been awarded third place in the B-Heroes acceleration programme on 17 June and securing funding of 200,000 euros, the plans for the future include a crowdfunding campaign to be launched at the beginning of October to allow the community to become shareholders in the project too, with a fundraising target of one million euros and the opening of a new market in Spain in 2022.