Dunbar - Micro Social Network for Friends' Locations (Path Reimagined)
A minimalist, private social network designed for close friends (up to 150, based on Dunbar's number) to easily share and discover each other's locations, particularly for travel overlaps. It aims to recreate the intimate, curated experience of 'Path' for the modern era, focusing on real-time connections without the noise of public social media.
Opportunity5.8
Why now
Post-COVID diaspora of friends, increasing fatigue with public, noisy social media, AI making product development more accessible, enduring demand for intimate social circles.
Market gap
A private, minimalist social network focused on location sharing and real-time connections for a curated group of close friends, without the 'noise' and public nature of current social media platforms.
Business fit
Type
App
Target
Close friends (up to 150) who desire a private, curated social experience focused on location and real-world connections, free from mainstream social media noise.
Revenue
Multi-million dollar per year (subscription, sticker packs)
Founder
Someone with experience in consumer social, strong product vision, and willingness to tackle a challenging market for niche users.
Scores
Problem
8.0
Feasibility
7.0
Why now
8.0
Go-to-market
6.0
Confidence
10.0
Proof signals
Instagram status updates are primarily used for location sharing among friends.
People extensively use Apple's Find My Friends for location tracking.
Dunbar's number theory (150 stable relationships) provides a theoretical basis.
Nostalgia for 'Path' and its curated experience.
General sentiment against mainstream social media's public and noisy nature.
Keyword demand
Keyword
Volume
Growth
Micro social network
10/mo
0% YoY
Private social network
50/mo
-76% YoY
Path app
720/mo
-33% YoY
Dunbar's number
10/mo
0% YoY
US English Google Ads volume from DataForSEO; growth uses returned monthly search history.
Source episode
3 startup ideas from the co-founder of Loom (make $120k/mo)19:48
this micro social network which is a very minimalist thing it does one thing really well