A few years ago, two friends and I built three houses and started a small community — where my wife, our two kids, and I now live alongside our friends and their families. I believe there is nothing better for your mental health than living near your friends, and many other people around the globe are doing the same. At the same time, the WHO treats loneliness and social isolation as a pressing global health threat. About one in six people worldwide experience loneliness, and its effects are considered comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes per day, obesity, or air pollution.
But the tools hosts use to run their communities weren't built for this kind of work. Luma is great for getting people to show up, but it has no idea what happens next. Patreon works for creators, but not for people building spaces rather than content. Notion is endlessly flexible, which mostly means endlessly unfinished.
None of these are bad choices. They just weren't made for someone running a retreat, a weekly gathering of friends, or an intentional community space. So hosts end up doing invisible work to fill the gaps — and still can't point someone to a single place that shows who they are and what they offer.
That's the gap Coliven was built for.
One place to get discovered, run your events, collect payments, and give your community a home worth sharing. Built specifically for hosts who gather people in real life.
My goal is simple: help hosts build healthier economics around their work, so this kind of leadership can be sustainable — instead of something you do despite the circumstances.
If you're building something worth showing up for, I'd love to see it on Coliven.
Marin Petrov
Founder of Coliven