Former Meta engineer. Founder of Culdesac.
I spent years at Meta building the systems that keep people scrolling. News Feed ranking, engagement optimization, the mechanics of attention. I was good at it. The platforms I worked on reached billions of people. But somewhere along the way, I started noticing something. The people using these products were more connected than ever on paper, and lonelier than ever in practice.
The data confirmed what I was feeling. 60% of Canadians say they feel disconnected from their community. In Toronto, 43% of residents have never had a real conversation with their neighbour. We built technology that was supposed to bring people together, and instead it kept them on their couches, watching other people live.
I left Meta to build something different. Not another social network. Not another events app. Culdesac is a community platform that does one thing: it gets people into the same room. Live event maps, clubs with persistent group chats, recurring meetups where you see the same faces every week. The relationships that form when you keep showing up.
I've lived in Canada for years, but it hit me hardest during university. Surrounded by thousands of people my age, and still feeling completely alone. Not because anyone was unfriendly. Because there was no structure for connection. No recurring place to show up and see the same faces. I built Culdesac because I needed it. And the data tells me a lot of other people do too.
We're launching in Guelph first, then Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. If you believe your neighbourhood could be more than a collection of strangers, I'd love for you to join us.