Timeleft
6 known investors
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Timeleft operates a mobile app that connects people for in-person dinners with strangers and provides tools for group matching, post-event chat, and planning to help users build lasting friendships. Known as the "Dinner with Strangers App," it positions itself as a friendship-building platform focused on social connection and wellbeing.
Also known as The Dinner with Strangers App · The Friendship App
Founders & leadership
Investors · 6
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Timeleft operates a consumer platform (web and mobile app) that organizes recurring in-person gatherings between people who do not know each other. Members sign up, answer questions about themselves, and select a city, language preference and availability; Timeleft then assembles the group, books the venue and reveals the location and group shortly before the event. Formats include dinners with five other participants, casual bar meetups ("drinks") and group runs. Groups are composed by mixing age range, personality and language preferences, and events are held in the local language and English. Participation is open to anyone 18 and over.
The company frames itself beyond its "Dinner with Strangers App" reputation as a friendship platform, with product features spanning matching, the initial meeting, post-event chat and subsequent plans. Coverage from March 2026 describes the positioning as a "friendship OS" — infrastructure for repeated real-world connection rather than a single-event app. Timeleft also runs a help center covering subscriptions, events and reservations, account management, safety and security, and a partners section for venue partnerships, plus dedicated channels for trust and safety, law enforcement inquiries, press and a bug bounty program.
Founding story
Maxime Barbier, co-founder and CEO, started Timeleft to address urban loneliness by connecting strangers over communal dinners matched on personality. He had previously organized events in Paris, worked as a nightlife promoter and founded a positive-news media business in France before this venture, which he describes as his third company. The first Timeleft event drew about 25 diners, with subsequent events growing to 35, 70 and 81 attendees.
Business model
Timeleft coordinates group meetups and handles venue selection, group assembly and scheduling; participants pay for their own food and drinks directly at the venue. Booking is managed through the app and website, and the help center references subscription management for customers as well as a partnerships track for venues.
Consumer-paid access to bookings with a subscription component referenced in the help center; food and beverage spend is settled by attendees at the venue rather than through Timeleft.
Traction
Company-reported figures: more than 3 million members, over 80,000 dinners attended, and 720 bookings per day, operating in 200+ cities across 52 countries. Reporting in March 2026 cites 150,000 monthly users, €18 million in annual recurring revenue, and team growth from 4 to more than 90 employees over 20 months of operation, with a company overview listing 125 employees, a 2020 founding year and France as headquarters.
Latest developments
In March 2026 Timeleft was reported to have raised $7.0 million, with proceeds earmarked for platform capabilities, expansion into new communities and operational scaling; the same report cited 150,000 monthly users, €18 million ARR and headcount growth from 4 to over 90 people in 20 months. The product line now spans dinners, drinks and runs.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as a friendship-formation platform addressing urban loneliness, distinct from dating apps; the company reports 3M+ members, 80,000+ dinners attended and 720 bookings a day, and external coverage cites 150,000 monthly users and €18 million ARR after 20 months of operation.
No profiles, bios or swiping: users do not choose their companions, and the group and venue are revealed only shortly before the gathering. Timeleft handles venue, group composition and timing, and builds around recurring attendance and post-event tools intended to convert one-off meetings into ongoing friendships rather than single matches.
Technology
A matching system assigns members to small groups based on stated age range, personality (assessed via a personality quiz at sign-up) and language preferences, combined with logistics automation for venue booking and event scheduling. The mobile app supports booking, group reveal shortly before the event, post-event chat and planning of follow-up meetings. The company operates a bug bounty program for vulnerability reporting.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer sign-up via the website and mobile app, with users selecting activity type, city, language and availability. Growth has been city-by-city international expansion, beginning with early events that grew from roughly 25 attendees to 35, 70 and 81 participants, then extending from Lisbon to Paris and the UK and onward to other markets. Word of mouth among attendees is a noted acquisition channel.
Adults aged 18 and over in large cities seeking to form new friendships, including people new to a city or looking for regular social routines; venues such as restaurants and bars act as partners hosting the groups.
Geography
The company states presence in more than 200 cities across 52 countries. Listed markets include the United States (about 46 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami and Washington, D.C.), Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and much of Western and Central Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Poland, UK, Ireland, Nordic countries, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece), plus Türkiye, the UAE, India, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines), East Asia (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong), Australia and New Zealand. A mid-2024 interview described the footprint at that time as 80 cities in 18 countries. The core team is based in Paris, and a March 2026 funding report lists France as headquarters.
History
After early events in Paris, Timeleft expanded internationally from Lisbon to Paris and then the UK, encountering skepticism in each new market. By mid-2024 it operated in 80 cities across 18 countries, running large numbers of simultaneous dinners. The team initially worked fully remotely before Barbier reassembled a core team in Paris for closer collaboration. By 2026 the company listed 200+ cities in 52 countries and had added drinks and running meetups alongside dinners.
Risks & controversies
Operations depend on in-person gatherings among strangers, and the company maintains dedicated trust and safety, law enforcement and safety/security functions and states it prioritizes participant safety. Expansion has repeatedly encountered cultural skepticism in new markets.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Timeleft went on to found or lead other companies.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsTimeleft announced $7.0 million in funding, to be used for platform capabilities, expansion to new communities and operational scaling.
$7M source ↗
Interview coverage described Timeleft as operating in 80 cities across 18 countries, having expanded from Lisbon to Paris and the UK.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Timelefttimeleft.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Timeleft do?
- Timeleft runs weekly dinners, drinks and runs that match strangers into small groups to build friendships.
- Who founded Timeleft?
- Timeleft was founded by Maxime Barbier.
- Who are Timeleft's investors?
- Timeleft's investors include Berliner Volksbank Ventures, Enjoyventure Management, Play Ventures, Redstone, Shilling VC, Tane Fund.