Are Tribal Tech Startups The Answer To The Loneliness Epidemic?

By Michael Proman

Today we put more value on individual success and independence than on social ties and community. We relocate farther from family to pursue career opportunities and ambitions. We constantly multitask, leaving little time for forging social connections. Many of us are living alone, making human belonging tougher to come by.

We’re having a hard time making friends, too. A study earlier this year found that 51% of surveyed Americans said they found it difficult to make new friends. Contrast this to a 1990 Gallup survey, which found that one-third of Americans reported having 10 or more friends. In 2021, only 13% in an American Survey Center poll said they had that many friends; 12% said they had none at all.

Is tribal tech the answer?

The loneliness and isolation epidemic is real, and it’s compounded by social media and the inexorable march of technology. While tech may keep us virtually connected, studies have shown that excessive use of social media can increase feelings of loneliness and isolation, as people compare their lives to the carefully edited highlight reels of others.

I’ve spent the past 20-plus years working in sports and entertainment, a vertical that has commonly had a reputation for being a net importer of innovation.

Yet through a variety of industry perspectives which includes brand, rights-holder, and early-stage (entrepreneur) and venture exposure, it is abundantly clear to me the superpower this industry has is that it is inherently tribal.

Sports and entertainment has the ability to bring together complete strangers at scale, which can be further accelerated by disruptive technology. This is the foundation for what I believe could be a solution to the loneliness epidemic and next frontier in investing: tribal tech.

Tribal tech helps us find others with similar passions and provides an opportunity to experience them together in real life with other like-minded people. We’ve all had the experience: We see someone with a sweatshirt featuring a logo of our favorite sports team, and we’re immediately kindred spirits regardless of our differences.

Tribal tech takes the lessons learned from professional sports and applies them to other interests or hobbies to create community, purpose and teamwork. It gets us off our collective couches and joins us with “our people,” doing our favorite activities: on trails with fellow runners, making homemade pasta with other foodies, surrounding ourselves with other fans of (well, you name it) — irrespective of our political and social-economic differences.

Among others, there are five areas to watch where tribal tech could make a meaningful impact.

Traditional online dating has run its course. Dating apps aren’t connecting couples in the way many had hoped. Check out the one-year stock performance of Bumble (-60%), Match Group (-18%) and Hello Group (-28%). These “macro” online dating platforms fail to connect passions in the way tribal platforms do. Instead of connecting people based on geography, tribal tech is taking an interest-based approach. Consider Dharma, for example. The company builds and promotes ultra-curated trips hosted by the world’s most iconic people and brands. Who better to democratize this mission than influencers, athletes and rights-holders that have cult-like followings? Travel, identity and personal expression are intertwined.
Fitness takes a village. Enabling like-minded strangers to come together at scale to create vibrant communities is at the center of Bandit Running‘s 1 reason for being. Running is perhaps the most outstanding example of tribalism. It is the most competitive, yet non-competitive, environment built around inclusivity and encouragement where differences are embraced. The company has brilliantly designed its product line and built a robust membership model that leverages the highly tribal rise of run clubs to amplify and expand acquisition.
Reading is going communal. More than just book clubs, tribal tech companies are creating reading parties that can take place on rooftops, in parks and at bars. Participants show up with a book, commit to reading a chapter or two, and chat with strangers about what they’ve just read. These companies are less about reading and more about having fun and hanging out with book-loving strangers who often become friends.
People need cultural experiences. On a mission to bring more joy and belonging to people, companies like Day Breaker tour the world, building community on the tenets of wellness and camaraderie. The company works with local creators, artists, merry-makers and mischief-makers in 34 cities across the world to build a grassroots movement toward curated, joy-based events and educational experiences.
Social recreation for adults can create lasting community. Research shows the current cohort of young adults is among the loneliest generations. Loneliness peaks between the ages of 18 and 29, and activities like video games aren’t helping. Tribal tech sports companies provide organized recreational sports leagues and activities for young adults for social interaction, physical exercise and fun.

An end to the epidemic

We all need to belong, and what better way than to connect with people whose passions you share? Whether you’re setting goals, seeking joy, sharing motivation and triumphs, or just wanting to wax philosophical with new friends, you will find it in tribal tech.

Tribalism is and has always been in the human DNA. Now, it’s how people are finding meaning and belonging in a world where swiping, scrolling and loneliness reigns — but, hopefully, not for long.

Michael Proman is managing director and partner at Scrum Ventures, where he’s played an integral role in the growth of the Bay Area-based firm and development of its first vertically focused fund in the sports and entertainment space. Prior to Scrum, Proman worked with Coca-Cola and the National Basketball Association before starting (and ultimately exiting) OptionIt, a startup providing consumers enhanced convenience and flexibility when making purchasing decisions.

Illustration: Dom Guzman