Mesh Local - Find Your People

I live in the Madison area, which I learned today at my first Mesh, is where this app originated. I moved here a few months ago and I work from home, and as I’m well into middle age and single, meeting new people is really difficult. Admittedly it took me a long time to try it, but I’m really glad I did. It IS organized, and people DID show up, it felt completely safe, and I had a nice chat over coffee with lovely new folks. I guess people go regularly and you start to see people again and again in different meets, which signals to me that in the long run, this is trying to build a community. I also feel like the pricing is reasonable - I’m investing in connectivity with other people IRL, and ultimately my own mental health. When I think about all the other things we spend money on, when I put it in that perspective, it’s worth it. I’m excited to go again.

Was a little nervous to try this out. I’m not typically super outgoing but not having to swipe and not having all this anticipation built up before meeting helped a lot to get me to actually go. I don’t like getting to know people over text first because I worry they’ll have an idea of what to expect before meeting me, and I didn’t have to worry about that with Mesh. Michael, the founder, actually showed up at our coffee shop and we got to meet him too. Super down to earth guy who really cares about making communities in the cities that Mesh is in. Everyone was so nice and I really enjoyed my time. I got people around my age with similar interests and somewhat similar career paths too. This app is exactly as it presents itself - a wholesome way to make friends and support local coffee shops.

Having used both apps to meet people in my new city (and on the launch dates of both!) Mesh takes the cake on this one! Mesh was much more affordable and cared more about the customer in comparison to TimeLeft. The cost of one TimeLeft session was equal to 3 sessions of Mesh. With TimeLeft, you had to pay for both your meal and your ticket (and a slight discount for the ticket on launch day) while for Mesh, you had a free trial for the Launch day and only had to pay for a cup of coffee! The biggest component was a member of Mesh’s creation team being present at the launch! They made sure if a bug came up (like someone not being placed in a group) was fixed right away - they still found people to connect with. They chatted with each of the groups and wanted to get to know you, too! So much so, they asked for feedback - ways to enhance the app - and their plans for the future. They’re not out here to simply take your money, they’re hoping to assist you in making new connections in a difficult to navigate post-COVID/online world. TimeLeft was not present at the launch event, which caused a few problems the day of the dinner. Also, if you’re nervous about meeting your group, Mesh requires you to add a profile picture and the ability to chat with your group two hours beforehand on the app, unlike TimeLeft. This definitely helped me find my group with ease and even break the ice before meeting in person. I definitely recommend trying out Mesh as they truly care about you, your experience, and creating community again.