Why Gallivnt

Hi. I’m Scott. I haven’t always succeeded, but I’ve always tried to be doing the most meaningful thing possible with my life. In college this meant obsessive volunteering, while in my career it  has meant jobs in politics and foreign policy, intentionally working to make the world a better place.

 

But, I’ve also had the privilege of traveling widely for both work and play. Sometimes for months at a time, and sometimes for a weekend. I’ve also moved on multiple occasions, finding myself in a new city without my community, without friends. As I’ve worked and traveled over the last decade, a single question has stayed with me: Why can I not find friends on the fly? Because of Tinder and Bumble, one can get a date anytime, anywhere, but I’m unable to find my type of people when and where I want them.

We know that staying active, being with friends, and having a strong community leads to increased happiness. We’ve all seen the studies suggesting this kind of activity leads to better mental faculties and improved health. But, we’ve yet to find a way to digitally imitate or improve upon the real life steps we regularly take to find new activity partners, meet new friends or organize activities.

A great experience is often less about what and more about with whom.

Not finding folks with which to eat, adventure, or explore has rarely ruined a trip or a day, but the times I did find folks with which to share experiences reinforce this simple fact: A great experience is often less about what and more about with whom. I think of the 5 folks I found in a Beijing hostel bar and talked into camping on the Great Wall. The wonderfully adventurous French crowd my buddies and I met who became our traveling companions in Cuba. The new fly fishing friends I made in DC who became my most common weekend companions. 

I don’t recall the specific days I stayed home because I didn’t feel like seeing  a museum alone, or the nights I spent at bars trying to meet folks, and failing, but I do know how frustrating it is to feel that you’re only being held back by your inability to find your kind of people.

Saying our goal at Gallivnt is to create “A global community of people having more fun together” is not a shallow call for a better way to meet one’s friends at the bar. It’s a statement of purpose. It’s the description of an effort to improve our lives by making it easier to surround ourselves with the kind of people that bring out our best self.

Contrary to what some might think, fun is not frivolous. The pursuit of joy is not a luxury, but a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human.

This is why I see my transition from public service to private sector as an extension of my lifelong commitment to doing meaningful work.

It’s for this reason that Gallivnt seeks to transform how people meet new friends and plan activities, increasing the likelihood we’re all able to consistently put ourselves in the right places, with the right people.Contrary to what some might think, fun is not frivolous. The pursuit of joy is not a luxury, but a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human. We know that for most, fun and joy are closely tied to the companions with which we find ourselves.

We take seriously the idea that having fun, pursuing our passions and finding joy in life is a vital, important component of the human experience. People have more fun together, and are more likely to pursue their passions when there is a partner or partners with whom they can experience their favorite activities or explore a new culture.

We’re building the tool and community we’ve always dreamed of having for ourselves, for you.

For the traveler that arrives in each new city looking for new friends to explore, eat and drink with. For the resident that has a new hobby but no new activity partners. For any person that is bored and looking for something to do right now, but has no way to immediately find likeminded folks. We’re building the tool and community we’ve always dreamed of having for ourselves, for you.

We’re putting a world’s worth of relationships, adventures and fun at your fingertips, but we obviously can’t do this alone. So please, be our partners as we set out to fundamentally alter the world’s social calculus.