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§ Private Profile · Brooklyn, NY, USA
Somewhere Good is a technology company.
Somewhere Good provides a mobile application fostering authentic community connections through group interactions. Users engage within diverse "worlds" or communities, sharing content and participating in real-time audio conversations. It departs from traditional social media, eschewing profiles, follower counts, and public feeds, prioritizing collective experiences rooted in intimacy, nuance, and collaboration.
Naj Austin founded Somewhere Good, inspired by her prior venture, Ethel's Club, a community for people of color. Austin observed strong demand for scalable group activities and a societal shift toward collectivism. This prompted her to build a platform emphasizing genuine connection, offering a framework for meaningful group interactions over individualistic display.
Somewhere Good serves individuals seeking safe, inclusive digital spaces where community identity is paramount. The product offers an alternative to conventional social media, creating environments where users derive value from trusted group engagements. Its vision is to redefine social interaction, positioning its collective-first approach for purposeful digital experiences.
Somewhere Good has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round.
Somewhere Good has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Somewhere Good has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Somewhere Good's investors include True Ventures, Acrew Capital, Addition, Adverb Ventures, Jana Messerschmidt, Vijaya Gadde, Anthemis Group, B Capital Group, Bloomberg Beta, Coalition Operators, Cowboy Ventures, Equity Venture Partners.
Somewhere Good has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Seed in May 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2021 | $4M Seed | True Ventures | Acrew Capital, Addition, Adverb Ventures, Jana Messerschmidt, Vijaya Gadde, Anthemis Group, B Capital Group, Bloomberg Beta, Coalition Operators, Cowboy Ventures, Equity Venture Partners, Forum Ventures, Hack VC, Insight Partners, LA Famiglia, LUX Capital, M13, Merian Ventures, Mouro Capital, Moxxie Ventures, Northzone, Precursor Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Uncork Capital, Verity Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Anne Wojcicki, Daniel Graf, Ellen PAO, Eric Nadalin, Federico Pomi, John Kobs, Mathilde Collin, Michael MA, Michael Stoppelman, MIK Attisani, Russ Heddleston, Sean Park, Simone Brunozzi, Surojit Chatterjee, Tony Jamous, Zack Kanter, Gabrielle Union, 2PM, Canvas Ventures, Debut Capital, Dream Machine, NextView Ventures, Slauson & CO. | Announced |
Somewhere Good is a social media platform that builds mobile apps centered on identity, community, and group interactions for people of color (POC) and queer communities, displacing traditional individual-focused social norms with safe, intentional spaces.[1][2][4] It serves underserved groups seeking authentic connections by solving problems like isolation, harassment, and lack of mental safety on mainstream platforms through features like voice note "worlds" (group chat rooms), daily prompts, and ad-free experiences—no profiles, feeds, likes, or followers.[1][3][4] The company raised $3.75 million in seed funding in late 2020, led by True Ventures, with participants including Dream Machine, Debut Capital, Canvas Ventures, Slauson & Co., NextView Ventures, 2PM Inc., and angels like Gabrielle Union and Ellen Pao; it launched its iOS beta in April 2022, achieving over 10,000 downloads and a waitlist exceeding 5,000 earlier.[1][2][4]
Growth momentum includes pivoting from physical to digital during the pandemic, expanding Ethel’s Club (its precursor) to nearly 2,000 global members, and attracting high-profile users post-Twitter changes under Elon Musk.[1][2][4] Its subscription-based model takes a cut from paid communities, events, and peer-to-peer transactions, ensuring data privacy without ads.[3]
Founded by Naj Austin in Brooklyn, NY, Somewhere Good emerged from her earlier venture, Ethel’s Club—a subscription-based physical and digital community for POC that grew to over 1,500-2,000 members during the pandemic pivot.[1][2][3] Austin, responding to members' demands for specialized groups (e.g., cooking clubs, wellness, therapist recommendations), realized manual matchmaking wasn't scalable and built a "technology layer" for community discovery, chat, and co-creation.[2][3] The idea crystallized as a response to tech's lack of identity-centered, safe digital spaces, with early traction via a "Stumble Upon"-style directory of over 100 POC-focused brands.[3]
Pivotal moments include the 2020 seed raise amid isolation trends and the 2021 beta launch plans, followed by full iOS rollout in April 2022 as a voice-note platform for "worlds" like Griot Galaxy.[1][4] By 2022, it had a nine-person team scaling to 86 employees, focusing on accessibility, safety, and product innovation.[2][6]
Somewhere Good rides the wave of disillusionment with toxic, algorithm-driven social media (e.g., post-Musk Twitter exodus), capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for niche, safe digital communities amid rising focus on mental health and identity-affirming tech.[1][4] Timing aligns with 2021-2022 shifts toward voice/audio (like Clubhouse) and subscription models, positioning it against "archaic" platforms lacking group safety for marginalized groups.[1][2] Market forces favoring it include investor interest in diverse founders (e.g., True Ventures' bet on overlooked communities) and growth in POC-led tech, influencing the ecosystem by pioneering "compassionate" alternatives that inspire similar identity-first platforms.[1][4][8]
Somewhere Good is poised to expand with Android launch, team growth beyond 86, and features like enhanced P2P transactions, targeting broader scale while maintaining safety.[2][4][6] Trends like audio social, Web3 community tools, and anti-doomscrolling apps will shape it, potentially evolving into a full "one-stop shop" for POC needs as Austin envisions.[3] Its influence may grow by setting standards for ethical social tech, drawing more creators and users seeking authentic digital belonging—redefining connection from isolation to intentional community, much like its origin in pandemic-era pivots.[1][2]