spontaneous connection built into everyday places
WELCOME
minglespaces have started in Milwaukee. Join us.
VALUE
Benefits of a minglespace
More people
People who stay home because they don’t want to attend alone
Small groups or couples who want to make new connections
People new to a city or traveling
Improved experience
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People will stay longer and return to make new connections
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Create an atmosphere of welcome conversation
Build community
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Create more opportunities for social connection
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Connection increases community safety and trust
Restaurants & Bars
Going to lunch alone at the sandwich shop and looking for someone to eat with? Look for the minglespace table sign and chat with someone over a meal. Or dine at night at the minglespace table with a bigger group and meet other couples. Restaurants can increase their patrons and become places to make new friends.
Coffee Shops
Coffee Shops & shared work spaces can have tables for those who are open to conversation. Feeling social? Sit at the table with the minglespace sign. This let's people know you are happy to chat. Scan the QR code or check-in with the app to find discussion topics. With the app, the store will determine which hours to make tables available.
Concerts & Shows
Music events are a great place to meet new people but for those going alone they can feel isolating or many stay home. Create a designated area at your music event with banners, posters, and signs, inviting people to introduce themselves and make connections. Within the app, the event can set discussion themes. This conversation space can create a safe place for people attending alone to meet someone.
Markets, fairs, festivals
Organizers of farmers markets, festivals, and fairs, can reserve a booth, tent, or area specifically for people to have friendly conversation with other attendees. Devote someone on staff to help get conversations started. Attending a festival or fair and want to increase your group size for added fun? Go the minglespace and find people to join your group.
Movie Theatres & Plays
Feeling social after seeing a movie and want to talk about the plot afterward with other movie goers? Go to the minglespace area of the movie theatre near the concession stand and meet someone!
Libraries
Libraries and similar spaces can have a designated room where people can stop in and have a conversation, similar to an employee break room. Within the minglespace app, the library can set the hours when it will be available for mingling.
Hotels & Apartments
Hotel lobbies are an underutilized place for socialization and meeting other travelers. Easily add value by create a devoted minglespace table in the dining area and a place in the hotel lobby where guests are welcome to introduce themselves and converse.
Public Parks
Designated minglespace park benches and tables or covered areas can make your visit to the park become a social experience. Want to go the beach but don't want to go alone? A minglespace area near the lifeguard stand can connect beach goers.
Universities
Help students struggling with feelings of isolation and loneliness by creating minglespaces in University common areas where students can meet each other.
Sporting Events & More
Sporting events, stadiums, convention centers can have a designated mingle area for fans to convene. Not meeting enough people at your place of worship or your company? Have them set up a designated minglespace for after the service to engage in conversation.
Our Social Infrastructure Has a Missing Piece
We are in conversation with and drawing inspiration from organizations around the country working on building connected communities, including those below. Contact us to collaborate.
OUR SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE HAS A MISSING PIECE
Our Social Infrastructure Has a Missing Piece
Spontaneous connection with strangers is getting rarer all the time. Our public places are missing a simple piece of social infrastructure: a dedicated spot where it's normal and expected to say hi to someone you haven't met yet. Without it, we lose opportunities to share ideas and meet the people around us. Apps and scheduled events cannot solve this physical problem at scale. The places themselves must give people permission to say hi.
The Solution: A MingleSpace for Every Place
A MingleSpace is a connection spot — a table or area at any place where people gather, marked by a sign that gives people permission to say hi to someone they haven't met yet.
A sign. A table. A QR code. Permission to say hi. No RSVP, profile, or coordination required. MingleSpaces give places a designated spot where anyone can drop in, use built-in conversation prompts designed to spark meaningful interactions, and meet the people around them.
Why This Is Different
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Spontaneous, not scheduled. No event to plan, no host required.
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Place-based, not individual-organized. The venue creates it, anyone can use it.
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IRL only. No online groups, no chat threads.
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Always on. Available whenever the venue is open.
From Pilot to National Platform
The concept has been validated. Research on loneliness, stranger interaction, and the decline of third places confirms the need. Fifteen venues eagerly piloted MingleSpace and loved the idea. What's missing isn't proof of concept — it's a completed platform, proper marketing, and an organization with the resources to execute at scale.
We are currently seeking:
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Founding Partners: To build the core platform and mobile architecture.
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Investors: To fund high-fidelity demos, animation, and national marketing.
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Visionaries: Organizations ready to scale a new layer of in-person social infrastructure.
The idea is proven. Now it needs a team. If you're a developer, investor, or organization with the resources to build this, consider this an open invitation.
Together, by building this new piece of social infrastructure, we can unlock the potential of missed connections all around us.
Together, by building this new piece of social infrastructure, we can unlock the potential of missed connections all around us.
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Places lead the way. By creating a MingleSpace, places like cafes, breweries, parks, festivals, and campuses can take the first step and give everyone permission to say hi.
Everyday opportunities for connection. Meeting new people shouldn't require an app or a special event — just a clearly marked spot in the places we already go.
Stronger communities. Spontaneous conversation builds trust, sparks ideas, makes places feel more open, and turns strangers into neighbors.
VISUAL CONCEPTS
VISUAL CONCEPTS
Collaborators
We are in conversation with and drawing inspiration from organizations around the country working on building connected communities, including those below. Contact us to collaborate.
TESTIMONIALS
Testimonials
What our participants are saying
"Seeing people make new connections and strike up conversations they probably wouldn't have otherwise had is rewarding to see. Having Minglespace provide prompts to get conversations started has been a valuable addition to our taproom. ”
Cullen Voss, Manager, Indeed Brewing
"We absolutely love the idea of MingleSpace! Sugar Maple has won ‘Best Bar for Quiet Conversations’ many years in a row so introducing MingleSpace was an easy fit! It is low pressure, low risk and gives folks the opportunity to build real lasting relationships with minimal pressure”
Xay Matabele, Manager, The Sugar Maple
"MingleSpace has provided us a great opportunity to connect people together in real life. We’re excited to be part of MingleSpace and help it to grow. We can’t wait for the day where people can find MingleSpaces in every community."
Rachel Bauer, Owner, The Loxley
Public School Teacher
Juan Carlos
I'm so grateful for the Social Connection Circle initiatives in our community. Connection is needed more now than ever.
Business Owner
Paula Jackson
Having access to a community let alone the resources has been so helpful - to know I'm not alone and there are initiatives in my local community supporting connection.
Community Director
City of Milwaukee
We've been looking forward to our partnership with the Social Connection Circle for sometime now - it's just the beginning.
Testimonials
FAQ
You might be
wondering...
Connect
Subscribe to the newsletter, ask a question, request a discovery call, or share your ideas. To create a minglespace, visit the create page and apply.
