Hey builder 👋
Your time is limited, so each week, I break down one startup idea you can build in days, not months. Simple plan, real tools, fast launch.
In today’s newsletter:
A smart app that connects movie lovers with nearby people
A 7-day roadmap to launch it
A ready-made boilerplate to skip setup and start building
Let’s break it down!
A local friend-finding app that connects movie lovers with nearby people who want to watch the same film at the same cinema, verified and safety-first, no dating pressure, just shared experiences.
1. Pain First (5/5)
Many 18–35-year-olds want to watch new movies but don’t want to go alone or organize awkward group chats.
Social apps today either feel like dating platforms or are too general.
The pain is emotional (loneliness, missed social fun) and practical (coordination friction).
ReelPals targets a clear, underserved middle ground — safe, platonic, in-person connections through a shared hobby.
2. Why Now (5/5)
Friendship-based apps are surging, especially among Gen Z who value local and authentic social ties.
Cinema attendance is rebounding globally after COVID, while loneliness rates remain high.
The “friendship economy” (apps for platonic meetups) and local hobby trends make this a perfectly timed concept.
Safety tech (ID checks, verification APIs) now makes real-world matching much easier.
3. Market Shape (4/5)
Around 250 million global cinema-goers aged 18–35, and even if just 1 percent use a social-matching app, that’s 2.5 million reachable users.
The global “make friends” app space is worth $3.5B and growing ~15 percent yearly.
ReelPals sits in a focused €50–70M submarket with clear emotional demand and low competition for the specific “movie buddy” use case.
4. Current Alternatives (3/5)
Meetup: group-focused, slow coordination, not cinema-specific.
Bumble for Friends: still perceived as dating-adjacent.
Discord Movie Nights: online-only, lacks real-world experience.
People resort to posting in Reddit or Telegram groups, but those lack safety and structure. ReelPals fills this gap with verified, movie-specific matching.
5. Flow Sketch (4/5)
Input: User selects movie, cinema, and time.
What happens: The app finds nearby verified users with matching preferences, offers short bios, and provides AI-generated icebreakers.
Output: Match confirmed, users chat, verify via ticket upload, and meet safely at the cinema.
6. Risk Analysis (3/5)
Safety risk: In-person meetups could raise security concerns, reduce by requiring ID/ticket verification and “report user” systems.
Trust risk: Users might fear catfishing, solve with visible verification badges and cinema check-ins.
Distribution risk: Reaching first users in multiple cities is hard, start with one pilot city and partner cinemas.
Retention risk: Limited to movie timing, expand later with watchlists or “post-movie chat” features.
7. Acquisition Feasibility (4/5)
Reddit: r/movies, r/socialskills, and r/loneliness (organic discussions + demo posts).
Local indie cinemas and student film clubs (QR flyers or ticket partnerships).
Instagram/TikTok microvideos (“find your movie twin tonight”) targeting moviegoers and introverts.
These channels are low-cost and authentic for early traction.
8. Future Potential (5/5)
Add “movie squads” for group outings and film festivals.
Include loyalty perks with cinemas or streaming tie-ins.
AI match insights: recommend ideal movie partners based on past matches.
Expand to other shared experiences (concerts, art shows, gaming nights).
Monetize via premium filters or partner events.
🔥 Potential: 4.3 / 5 - Excellent
ReelPals hits a rising social need with clear timing, emotional appeal, and easy local testing potential. Build a quick city pilot and measure verified match-to-meet conversions within a week.
Let’s build it step by step!
Day 1: Identify the Pain and the People
Today’s about clarity — who exactly needs ReelPals, and what are they saying about it?
Start by interviewing or messaging 5–10 people who often go to movies solo or wish they had a friend to join. Search Reddit threads like r/movies, r/socialskills, and r/loneliness. Ask open questions: “How do you usually find someone to go to the movies with?” “What feels awkward or risky about asking?”
Log everything in Notion. Look for emotional keywords — “awkward,” “unsafe,” “don’t want it to feel like dating.”
Create one problem sentence:
“People who love going to the cinema often skip it because they don’t have someone safe and easy to go with.”
Once this line feels true, you’ve nailed your starting point.
🎬 You’re one step closer — tomorrow, we test if others feel the same pain.
Day 2: Validate Demand Before Building
Before you touch any code, test interest. Build a simple waitlist page using Tally or Framer with this message:
“Find your movie buddy. ReelPals connects you with verified locals who want to see the same film — no dating pressure, just shared movie nights.”
Add 2–3 quick fields (name, city, favorite cinema). End with “Want early access?”
Drop this link in Reddit movie threads, DM film club leaders, or post short TikToks: “Would you go to more movies if you had a buddy app like this?”
If you prefer to self-host, use the Next.js Boilerplate with a waitlist route (Resend for email confirmations).
Success today = at least 30 people sign up or comment positively.
💡 If they care enough to click, they’ll care enough to try the MVP.
Day 3: Outline the MVP
Now design the smallest version that actually delivers value.
Forget algorithms — focus on manual matching.
Create a Notion database with user submissions (movie choice, cinema, time). Use simple filters to pair users with similar inputs. Message them manually or via Make automation: “Hey! Jamie also wants to see Dune: Part Two at AMC this Friday. Want to connect?”
Add a short safety note and a link to a private group chat (Telegram or Discord) for coordination.
If you’re technical, make a prototype page:
Input movie + cinema + time
Get suggested matches (mock data works fine)
Host it on Vercel, collect reactions.
✅ Today’s goal: a functioning demo users can try, even if it’s mostly you behind the curtain.
🎥 You now have something real to show.
Day 4: Collect Feedback
Time to put ReelPals in front of real humans.
Invite your first 5 testers from yesterday’s waitlist. Ask them to actually use the matching flow — even if it’s manual. Observe how they react to the idea of meeting a new person at the cinema.
Ask:
What made you hesitate?
How safe did it feel?
What was confusing or fun?
Record answers in Notion. Watch for trust signals — that’s your brand’s heartbeat.
Consider running a quick Google Form follow-up for structured data. If 3 out of 5 say they’d use it again, you’re on the right track.
🎬 Tomorrow, we make it smoother and smarter.
Day 5: Automate and Polish
Now turn your scrappy flow into a mini-app.
Use Softr or Glide to create a simple interface where users can:
Pick a movie and cinema
See verified locals with matching plans
Message safely via an in-app chat or link
Use Airtable as your backend. Connect verification through Persona or Stripe Identity (just a simple ID upload).
Add some friendly visuals — film reels, popcorn, soft gradients — to make it feel human.
If coding, extend your Next.js MVP with:
Supabase for user profiles
BetterAuth for login
Resend for notifications
✅ By end of day: ReelPals v0.2 looks and feels trustworthy.
🎞️ You’re now testing a product, not just an idea.
Day 6: Monetize Early
Today’s about proving value, not chasing profit.
Offer a small Founding Member Pass: $5 to unlock verified access or premium matching. Use LemonSqueezy or Stripe for payment.
Explain clearly: the fee keeps things safe and spam-free. It’s not about profit yet, it’s about trust.
Promote locally — post in a few cinema fan groups or on TikTok with “Find your movie twin tonight.” See if anyone pays or asks for access.
Even one payment means massive validation. If not, measure how many almost paid — that tells you where to adjust.
🍿 If they’re ready to pay, you’ve built something that matters.
Day 7: Launch and Measure
Now, open the doors — softly.
Announce “ReelPals: Movie Buddy Beta” on Reddit, Instagram, and local Discords. Use screenshots of the MVP and your first success stories (“Two strangers met for Dune 2 last night — both said it was their best cinema night this year”).
Track your numbers: signups, matches made, meetups confirmed.
Use Beehiiv or Substack to start a tiny newsletter: “Movie Nights with ReelPals” — share new releases and highlight matches.
By the end of the day, you should have:
A live MVP
First real users
A story to build on
🎬 You did it — your idea’s on the big screen now.
What to Do Next
Review your 7-day sprint:
Did people actually match and meet?
Did they trust the platform enough to verify or pay?
What feedback kept repeating?
If engagement was strong, double down — add light gamification (badges, streaks, cinema rewards).
If it felt slow, pivot to “movie squads” or digital watch parties to build community faster.
Log your learnings in Notion or a short doc. Each week like this becomes your next growth loop.
Whatever the outcome, you now have clarity, data, and momentum — and that’s how real products start.
Ready to turn this idea into something real?
Get a production-ready Next.js boilerplate with auth, payments, and analytics already done, so you can start building in minutes.
Hope today’s idea fired you up to build something new 🔥
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– Adrien