FoundersAround Connecting Founders and Digital Nomads

FoundersAround remade Linktree with a geographical display, allowing users to make physical connections.

Table of contents

Introduce

Sharing this product on Twitter or Instagram would surely be eye-catching. However, it seems the creator, Leo Nagano, intended to use Product Hunt as a launchpad to connect with a community of remote workers and digital nomads.

The creator uses the Mapbox API to visually display where users are on the globe. The site is deployed on Vercel, which has become a standard setup for many indie developers.

Monetization and Features

Of course, in areas with many users, you might need to upgrade to a paid plan to get noticed. After all, paying for premium features gives you an edge. The creator has a very clear monetization strategy. The paid tiers are well-defined with compelling exclusive features. For example, only Premium members can use a custom avatar, and the “Mayor” title is limited to just one person per city. When you click on a user’s pin, it displays a pop-up with their custom information. For instance, you can see profiles for well-known figures in the indie hacker space like Pieter Levels.

Analysis and Suggestions

1. The Human Connection

Naturally, sharing your location carries some risk. On the other hand, the desire for human connection is written into our DNA. No amount of online chatter can replace the powerful impression of meeting someone face-to-face.

2. Promotion Strategy

Judging by the product’s promotional efforts, it’s clear this isn’t the creator’s first launch. The strategy is well-defined, moving from “Building in Public” on Twitter and articles on Indie Hackers to posts on Reddit and climbing the ranks on Product Hunt.

However, the product still lacks significant buzz on social media. A potential next step could be to collaborate with small/medium-sized Twitter Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs). Influencers in the indie developer and digital nomad communities would likely be receptive to a product with such inherent potential for viral sharing.

Areas for Improvement

While using the platform, a few user experience issues become apparent:

1. No “Home” Button: After exploring the map, there’s no button to quickly return to your own location; you have to refresh the page.

2. Lack of Search: If you want to find someone in London and also see who else is nearby for a drink, you have to manually pan and scan the map.

3. Mobile Experience: The site isn’t fully optimized for mobile. The absence of a search function is particularly inconvenient on a smaller screen.

4. Location Services: The app would be greatly improved by integrating with device location services to automatically find nearby users.

In short, there is still significant room for improvement to make “Founders Around” a truly polished product.

Final Thoughts: Beyond a Linktree Competitor

While Linktree might seem like a competitor at first glance, their use cases are fundamentally different. Both platforms allow you to share personal information (like your website or Twitter handle), but the geographical component gives “Founders Around” far more diverse possibilities. I can easily imagine it being used for:

1. Organizing meetups for digital nomads.

2. Sharing travel itineraries to connect with others on the road.

3. Discovering local founders and professionals in your city.

These are community-driven, location-based interactions that a simple link-in-bio service like Linktree cannot facilitate.