The Breakfast

How Two Founders Built An Invite-Only Breakfast Meetups App

January 10th, 2025

Founded By

Eteri Saneblidze

Founders

Employees

8 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2020

Customer

B2C

Founded By
Eteri Saneblidze: Founders
2

Employees
8 (est.): Profitable
Yes

Year Started
2020: Customer
B2C

Who is Eteri Saneblidze?

The Breakfast co-founders, Eteri Saneblidze and Lisa, conceptualized the app in 2018. They're passionate about fostering genuine human connections and lead a diverse team from Lisbon, Portugal, with backgrounds in design, engineering, and writing.

Eteri Saneblidze

What problem does The Breakfast solve?

The Breakfast solves the loneliness problem by offering real-life breakfast meetups, letting you connect with interesting people without the pressure of dating or networking.

The Breakfast Homepage

How did Eteri come up with the idea for The Breakfast?

The idea for The Breakfast sprouted from a desire to create a genuine space for human connection, free from the pressures of dating or professional networking. The founders noticed that while digital technologies often promise connectivity, many actually lead to feelings of loneliness and superficial interactions. They recognized breakfast as an ideal time for meeting new people — a simple meal that is less formal than lunch or dinner.

Before pursuing this concept, they engaged in discussions with like-minded individuals and examined the limitations of current social platforms. Through thoughtful observation and analysis, they validated their belief that a more authentic and intentional form of social interaction was missing. The founders also developed BRIOCHE, a unique algorithm designed to facilitate daily, meaningful meetings, which allowed them to fine-tune the matching process.

Feedback from early users helped them refine the focus on creativity and diversity, ensuring that meetings foster openness and genuine connections. Key lessons included the importance of balancing algorithmic efficiency with the unpredictability of human interaction, and they learned to navigate challenges such as creating a safe, bot-free environment by implementing an invite system.

How did Eteri Saneblidze build the initial version of The Breakfast?

The Breakfast app was meticulously built with a focus on creating meaningful real-life connections over breakfast. The development process involved a dedicated team of designers, engineers, and writers who collaborated to develop the app's core functionality. They employed a tech stack suitable for mobile app development, ensuring compatibility with both iOS and Android platforms. The app's standout feature is its proprietary algorithm, BRIOCHE, which was crafted to analyze user profiles and activity, offering tailored connections by prioritizing either similarity or diversity based on user preference. Crafting the first version of the app was undoubtedly challenging, as it required multiple iterations to refine the BRIOCHE algorithm and user interface to enhance user experience and ensure seamless functionality.

What was the growth strategy for The Breakfast and how did they scale?

Invite-Only Model

The Breakfast uses an invite-only membership model to grow its user base, ensuring the community remains authentic and genuine. By limiting access to those with invites or approved applications, they maintain high-quality profiles while reducing the risk of bots and fake users. This exclusivity creates a sense of privilege among members and encourages existing users to share the app with their network.

Why it worked: An invite-only approach fosters a strong sense of community and belonging. It allows users to feel special and part of an exclusive group, prompting them to invite peers who share similar values, thus driving organic growth.

Algorithmic Matchmaking

Their proprietary algorithm, BRIOCHE, enhances user experience by offering personalized matches, allowing users to connect over shared interests or explore diverse perspectives. This technology helps keep interactions engaging and meaningful, encouraging users to interact regularly, thereby increasing retention.

Why it worked: Personalized experiences are more engaging and satisfying for users. By effectively matching like-minded individuals or those with complementary differences, The Breakfast provides relevant and rewarding meetups, encouraging sustained user engagement and membership renewal.

In-Person Breakfast Meetings

Instead of traditional networking or dating, The Breakfast emphasizes genuine in-person meetings over breakfast. This unique angle differentiates them from typical social apps, providing a relaxed and pressure-free environment for meaningful conversation and connection.

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Why it worked: The simplicity and non-intimidating nature of breakfast meetings allow for natural and authentic interactions. This approach attracts users seeking real-life connections without the usual digital interactions' stress, making the experience memorable and appealing.

Subscription-Based Model

The Breakfast generates revenue through weekly, monthly, or annual membership fees, ensuring that all interactions are meaningful and that the users are invested in the community. This monetization strategy supports the platform’s growth and operational costs without resorting to intrusive ads.

Why it worked: Subscription models foster commitment and ensure a dedicated user base. This financial commitment aligns with the platform's goal of creating a purposeful and spam-free environment while sustaining ongoing growth and development.

What's the pricing strategy for The Breakfast?

The Breakfast prices its membership-based app through weekly, monthly, and annual plans, with costs varying by country, promoting real-life connections over breakfast without free trials.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building The Breakfast?

Focus on Real Connections: The Breakfast learned that prioritizing genuine, face-to-face interactions set them apart from typical networking or dating platforms. This focus helped build a community centered around meaningful connections.
Emphasize Diversity and Inclusion: They implemented an algorithm allowing users to choose diversity in their interactions, which fostered a richer, more varied community experience.
Adapt and Evolve: They expanded their offerings to include video meetings during the pandemic, showing flexibility and dedication to maintaining user engagement despite challenges.
Maintain a Strong Community Culture: By using an invite-only model, The Breakfast ensured that their community remained genuine and focused, which helped maintain quality user interactions.
Persevere Through Challenges: Despite setbacks like launching before COVID and external crises, their commitment to redesign and start anew illustrates the importance of resilience in business.

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