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The Build Nation
In person · Free and open to everyone

Meet startup founders, investors and mentors near you.

The in-person network for the startup ecosystem. See who’s building near you and what they’ve shipped.

  • BuildersFind co-founders, teammates and first users nearby, and meet them this week.
  • InvestorsDeal flow from founders near you, with what they’ve already shipped.
  • MentorsSee what builders near you are stuck on and meet the ones you can help.
  • BusinessesFind builders to hire or partner with, right in your city.
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Live in San Francisco · 100 builders and growing

The Build Nation app: who to meet near you
The Build Nation app: a live map of builders near you

What is The Build Nation?

The Build Nation is a real-time network for startup builders: see who’s building near you, see what they’ve shipped, and meet in person. Free to join.

Read more

The Build Nation is a real-time, location-aware network for startup builders: founders, engineers, designers and makers shipping something real. Open it to see who’s building near you right now and see what they’ve shipped. Start a meetup at a café or library, let nearby builders join, and meet in person. Your profile grows from proof of work (launched products, milestones and the meetups you actually show up to), never likes or followers. Your exact location is never shown; others see your rough area, about 1 km. Investors, mentors and businesses are joining soon. It’s free to join.

In the app

What you get

  • App screen: a live map showing builders near you

    Live map: who’s building near you

  • App screen: a builder’s proof of work and last shipped product

    Proof of work, not followers

  • App screen: a live meetup with builders asking to join

    Meet in person: start a meetup in seconds

How it works

  1. 01Join free
  2. 02See who’s near
  3. 03Meet & ship
See it in action

A 30-second walkthrough

What you’ll see

  • A live map of builders near you, right now.
  • Ask to meet while their exact location stays hidden.
  • They accept, the spot unlocks, and you meet the same day.
FAQ

Questions

What is The Build Nation?

The Build Nation is a real-time, location-aware network for startup builders. It shows who’s building near you right now, with proof of what they’ve shipped instead of likes or followers, so you can meet the right people in person.

Where is The Build Nation live?

The Build Nation is live in San Francisco. Anyone can join from anywhere, but San Francisco is where you’ll find builders nearby today.

Who is it for?

The Build Nation is for builders: founders, engineers, designers and makers working on a startup or product. Investors, mentors and businesses are joining soon.

How are people ranked?

The Build Nation never uses likes, followers or how often you post. Who to meet is ordered by your field and your stage (idea, building, launched, scaling) first, then by what people have recently done here: launches, shipped updates, and meetups and events they hosted. Every profile shows that proof of work. See how ranking works.

How is The Build Nation different from LinkedIn or Meetup?

LinkedIn mostly rewards posting: likes, comments and follower counts. Meetup lists events planned weeks ahead. The Build Nation shows who’s building near you right now and what they’ve actually shipped, so you can meet in person today.

Is my location private?

Yes. On The Build Nation, other people only see your rough area (about 1 km), never a live pin. A meetup at a spot the host named themselves shows just the area until the host accepts you. Read our safety rules.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. The Build Nation is free to join, and open to everyone.

Is there an app?

You can use The Build Nation on the web today. The iPhone app is coming to the App Store soon.

Who’s building it?

The Build Nation is built by Guru Raj Kolipakula, a data science student at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Read more on our About page.

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