Bunch Out: Based On A True Story

It began with a burning airplane.

A burning airplane full of snakes. And diamonds.

And Chuck Norris.

I was down to my last bullet, a silver one. As the tip of my gun gently aimed itself in my mouth, I hesitated.

I don’t usually hesitate.

But it was a matter of life and death. Mostly death, to be honest.

Then it hit me.

Despite having millions of people cramped into one city, going out with a new group of people you actually enjoy being around with isn’t that easy.

And to make it easier for everyone, I should build a straightforward web application, and get the world to use it!

Yes! Yes!

I guess it would be fun huh.

If the story of Bunch Out had some fancy “how it all began” bit. Especially if when Bunch Out gets really popular all over the world.

But the real Bunch Out story is not your typical “Ah-ha!” moment, or “Against the odds” story.

Heck we’re only at chapter one right now. As I write this, the app isn’t even live yet.

But let me tell you the story behind Bunch Out anyway.

Hey is Chuck Norris really part of the story?

If you really really want to know… I’ll be honest with you. I’ll tell you the TRUE story.

And there are 3 parts to this story.

Part one is seemingly innocent.

We’ve all been there.

With the same group of friends, doing the same s**t you did last Saturday.

Yes? Ok well at least I’ve been there.

My friends and I were back at the same club, surrounded by hundreds of people.

We like the place. Sure, we have fun. Doing other stuff as well. But we sat there, as though we’re missing out on something more…

We wondered:

• Wouldn’t it be nice if we could hang out with that group of people over there. They look interesting.
• Maybe they are a group of like-minds, and we could talk about fixing the music industry, or organizational design, or the wonders of lima beans.
• Maybe we’ll finally find people to start a dance class with. Or, they could be additional members to a potential art project. Or running partners to train with.
• Or maybe they’re just a cool bunch of people who are just cool to hang out with.

And while we were thinking about groups of people, and friendship…

We recounted memories of how meeting new people (in groups, through groups) was such good fun. And how we met each other. How we met our ex-es/ current partners.

How we met the very same people we now call friends.

… we met them in groups.

The second part of the story will only connect later.

Yeah, this second part is personal.

It’s about how I ended up here: with a small bunch of misfits from over 11 countries, launching new internet ventures in personal development. And pumping money into developing new ideas like BlinkList, SocialRank, and *ahem* Bunch Out.

Have I introduced myself? Maybe I should. I’m Khailee. Hello.

I’m a 23 year old guy, and the founder of Bunch Out. That’s a picture of me sweating profusely in someone else’s Viking hat.

Since I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed creating new things, with Lego, with words, or crafty stuff. But I never got involved with the cool scientific sounding stuff like stem-cell research, quantum physics, or tap dancing.

The internet was more convenient, and it naturally became my playground. I chose to equip myself with a healthy dose of web design, business-school, and travel… and while reading some random blog, I stumbled upon MindValley’s website.

I was impressed by their credentials and their story, and was keen to meet them.

I soon discovered what an awesome bunch of people they are, and got a job with them. Been with them for over a year now - and it was tough when I found myself considering leaving them.

It was those few months the idea of Bunch Out haunted me. And I was toying with the idea of going all the way… on my own.

Part Three is when it all comes together.

Beaten…

Like a dead horse - How the internet is affecting the way people socialize.

Yeah, online dating, social networking a la Facebook, MySpace etc… I was thinking it would be easy to just “use the internet” to help my friends and I shop around for a new bunch of people to do stuff with.

We thought it would be nice to go out with a new bunch of friends.

But not just ANY group of friends. We hoped to “shop around” first.

As half of my group were girls, we wanted it to be in a group setting - seemed more natural, and low risk. We wont be kidnapped as easily, and if we meet weirdos - we can just call it a fun night out.

So we explored online classifieds like Craigslist, group meetings like Meetup.com, Facebook groups, etc… they were a means to an end, although not the easiest.

I also found myself on other online dating sites too. But it really didn’t help. Because this isn’t just about dating, or mating for that matter. I was more for activity partners, and connecting with like minds.

In many cases, finding like minds is much harder than finding a date.

There HAD to be many groups of friends in my city. Sociable, interesting, and fun people (who, perhaps, are also as selective about spending time with new people).

And there HAD to be a more straightforward way. Don’t make me leap through hoops. (And don’t make me pay money ;p)

Make it EASY, FREE, and make sure I find groups of people I will like.

So I started designing the application - the business plan, how it would look, how it would be used… I bounced it off my team at MindValley, and they too, shared my excitement for the idea.

I knew I could go out and do it on my own… but when MindValley offered to fund it, develop it, and share ownership of it - it was perfect.

We moved quickly.

The very next day, I found myself with great programmers, designers, and advisors, building the web application now known as Bunch Out.

Cool. So, what’s next?

What’s next? I want to launch Bunch Out in your city - right now.

I mean it.

I want you to immediately start browsing group listings - look around and see if there’s a group of people you might like to hang out with.

But I just can’t do it with a snap of a finger. I need your help. Why?

You see, a city needs to have 100 group listings to launch - a pioneer batch of people get on it first, so it will be populated and useful by the time other people from your city sees it.

If you can get 100 group listings for your city, I will launch it, and promise to hear you out - to build Bunch Out as YOUR preferred, FREE service to meet new groups of people.

Now I’ve told my bit of the story.

The rest of the Bunch Out story is written by you, the sociable person reading this.

You’re going to decide if people all around the world will find it easier to go out with new groups.

And I really really hope you can help!

Get friends (and strangers) in your city to make a group listing on Bunch Out . It should quickly add up to 100 listings, and we can launch there…

And what about Chuck Norris you say?

I guess if you really want Chuck Norris to be part of the story, you can tell him about it. After all, as much as I would like to write out the rest of the story, I know you - the user - you’re taking the lead, and I can’t do it without you.

Click here to launch Bunch Out in your city, right now.

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