Cxmmunal started in the summer of 2021, when Ben and Max lived together in San Francisco, a city they’ve never been before. That summer was incredibly lonely for them, as they faced difficulty in finding community despite their effort in coordinating activities with the few peope they had came across. This isn’t unique to them, with 61% of young adults reporting “serious loneliness,” according to a report by Harvard School of Education.
Last summer, in the same city, Ben met Annie, and together they created a community with diverse friends and magical experiences. They made around 30 new friends and coordinated many hangouts each week during their time in San Francisco. The trick? They made group chats that brought together direct and mutual friends, and made sure to reflect on experiences taping polaroid pictures to a wall in Ben’s house. Whenever new people came over, they would gander at the images and connect over mutual friendships. This way, Ben and Annie had built their own communal space, generating points of social interaction to a multiplying effect.
We believe that connecting people through mutual friendships and shared experiences is the most effective way to build and foster social circles, unlike the current offerings of matching people by preferences and first impressions. It was an exhausting yet effective process of meeting new people, all while exploring the city. With Cxmmunal, we want to leverage software to automate this exhausting but effective process so that people can more easily connect, explore, and be empowered to find their cxmmunity.
Benjamin is currently a student at Yale studying computer science. He’s engineered a wide-range of industry software for both consumers and businesses.
Benjamin oversees all operations of Cxmmunal - you can find him tinkering with the codebase, cold-calling bowling alleys, and munching bananas.
Max is a senior at Yale studying Computer Science and Economics. He leads the engineering at Cxmmunal.
Annie graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2023 with a degree in Business Administration. She is a deferred admit to the Chicago Booth Program, and will be joining Strategy& full-time in January 2024 as a Private Equity Value Creation Consultant.
Aside from working on Cxmmunal, Annie’s passion project is hosting and producing “in perspective”, a health & education podcast. In her spare time, she gives back to her community as holistic growth & wellness coach for underserved youth.