222

Founders, Backgrounds, and Bench

222 was founded in 2023 by Danial Hashemi, Keyan Kazemian, and Arman Roshannai [Y Combinator]. The team consists of 16 employees based in New York [Y Combinator].

Company Overview

222 is a New York-based consumer social startup that uses machine learning to match strangers into small groups for in-person gatherings at curated venues [Business Insider, Feb 2024]. The company began as a Los Angeles experiment before relocating to New York alongside the launch of its consumer app and a $2.5 million seed round announced in February 2024 [Business Insider, Feb 2024]. Its product flow asks users to complete a roughly 100-question survey covering location, lifestyle, and worldview, and then assembles small cohorts of attendees for hyperlocal experiences at partner restaurants, bars, and event spaces [Business Insider, Feb 2024]. The cap table includes Y Combinator, First Round Capital, Canaan, Alumni Ventures, Flintlock Capital, Gaingels, HighSage Ventures, and a strategic check from Progressive Insurance [Y Combinator] [Crunchbase].

Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by Business Insider, Y Combinator, and Crunchbase.

The Product and the Stack

The core product is an iOS app under the title "222 - find your people" that gates entry behind a long onboarding questionnaire, then surfaces invitations to small-group gatherings at partner venues [Apple App Store] [Business Insider, Feb 2024]. The questionnaire runs to roughly 100 prompts spanning logistics and value-laden topics, and a machine learning model uses the responses to assemble cohorts [Business Insider, Feb 2024]. The company describes itself as matching "perfect strangers for bespoke, real-life experiences at hyperlocal venues" [LinkedIn]. The consumer-facing surface area includes an RSVP web property at rsvp.222.place [222].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product description corroborated by Business Insider and the App Store listing; algorithmic claims are company-described.

Market Research and Opportunity

222 operates at the intersection of consumer social, dating-adjacent discovery, and live experiential events. Business Insider's May 2024 feature on IRL-social startups groups 222 alongside Timeleft, Pie, Saturday, and The Breakfast as evidence of capital flowing into the segment [Business Insider, May 2024]. Several of these startups are experimenting with paid tickets, subscriptions, and host-side revenue rather than advertising models [Business Insider, Mar 2024].

Metric	Value
222 disclosed seed	$2,500,000
Headcount	16 employees

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Category framing supported by Business Insider; no third-party TAM report cited for IRL matching specifically.

The Competitive Field

222 competes inside a cohort of IRL-social startups. Direct challengers include Timeleft, Pie, Saturday, and The Breakfast [Business Insider, May 2024]. Adjacent substitutes include dating apps repositioning toward friendship, member clubs, and horizontal event platforms like Partiful, Eventbrite, and Meetup.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor set confirmed in Business Insider's May 2024 feature.

Sources

1. [Y Combinator] 222: the AI social facilitator for offline human to human interactions | https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/222
2. [Crunchbase] 222 - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/222
3. [Business Insider, Feb 2024] The IRL social startup 222 is moving from LA to NYC as it launches an app and raises $2.5 million | https://www.businessinsider.com/startup-shifting-social-to-real-life-funding-raise-app-launch-2024-2
4. [Business Insider, May 2024] The loneliness epidemic has given rise to a new crop of startups aiming to help people connect in real life | https://www.businessinsider.com/irl-social-startups-combat-loneliness-among-millennials-gen-z-2024-5
5. [Business Insider, Mar 2024] How new social-networking startups are approaching making money and scaling in a different way than giants like Instagram and Facebook did | https://www.businessinsider.com/how-new-social-media-startups-monetizing-scaling-their-apps-2024-3
6. [LinkedIn] 222 company page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/222place
7. [Bounce Watch] 222 - Information Technology, Social Media Company Profile | https://bouncewatch.com/explore/startup/222
8. [222] curate your night - 222 | https://rsvp.222.place/
9. [Apple App Store] 222 - find your people | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/222-find-your-people/id6450612690
10. [dot.LA] The 222 App Aims To Bring Serendipity Back to IRL Encounters | https://dot.la/222-anti-metaverse-app-2658453941.html
11. [Global Dating Insights] 222 Aims to Recreate the 'Meet-Cute' Internationally | https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/featured/222-aims-to-recreates-the-meet-cute-internationally/
12. [LinkedIn] Arman Roshannai - Engineering Serendipity @ 222 | https://www.linkedin.com/in/arman-roshannai/