Location-based social discovery

Come out
and PLAY.

no cold DMs · no standing by the bar alone

MapChat shows you what's happening around you right now, who's out, where they're going, and an easy way in. Wave to break the ice, let the games do the talking, and turn "I should go out more" into tonight.

Now live in LA, DC, New York, Boston & Monadnock

Download on the
App Store GET IT ON
Google Play
Want first dibs on the good nights? Drop your email
MapChat home screen showing tonight's events and specials near you in Los Angeles
Why MapChat exists

Proximity isn't the problem.
Activation is.

You're surrounded by people every night, at the bar, the show, the café down the street. The gap was never distance. It's the cold start: not knowing who's actually up for it, and not having a natural way to say hello. MapChat closes that gap, so going out feels less like a leap and more like a tap.

"I want to go out more,
I just hate making the first move."
Roughly everyone, honestly. MapChat is built for the people who feel that, not the loudest person in the room. Play is permission: it gives you a reason to be there and a reason to say hi.
How it works

Three taps to a real night out.

discover→connect→play
STEP 01
Wiggles

Open the map

See what's happening around you right now, who's out, where it's busy, and what's worth leaving the house for tonight.

STEP 02
Chrys

Wave & play

Check in, wave at the room, and jump into a game. The icebreaker happens for you, no opening line to overthink.

STEP 03
Flutters

Actually connect

Waves become chats, chats become plans, and "I never go out" quietly turns into your regular Friday. That's the whole point.

A look inside

Everything you need to walk in easy.

From your couch to a table full of people, in four taps.

A live map of tonight

See where it's busy, right now.

MapChat live map of events near you

See who's going

Live headcounts before you commit.

MapChat venue screen showing who's here now at a bar in Studio City

Break the ice with games

Imprompto gets the room laughing.

MapChat Games screen showing party games: Imprompto, Emoji Off and Pair Play

Wave to say hi

No opening line to overthink.

MapChat Social screen showing waves from people nearby
The games layer

Jackbox meets
the real world.

Party games you'd normally play on a couch, except the other players are strangers in the same bar as you. It's the easiest way to go from sitting alone to laughing with a table. Chrys hosts; you just play.

"Play is permission."
Try Imprompto See how a night goes
MapChat Games screen showing party games: Imprompto, Emoji Off and Pair Play
More reasons to come out

Whatever gets you out the door.

Make new friends

Your group chat could use fresh blood. Find people who get your specific brand of weird.

Maybe meet your person

Skip swiping into the void. They're across the room tonight, not across the country.

Drag a friend out

Finally do the thing you two keep texting about but somehow never actually plan.

Network, minus the cringe

Real talk over real drinks beats a cold LinkedIn DM every single time.

Benji Steely-Boehlke, founder of MapChat
Benji Steely-Boehlke
Founder, MapChat
Founder & story

I'm either the loudest one in the room, or not in it at all.

Hi, I'm Benji. Two true things about me: I walk into a party and know everyone's name by midnight. I also, around 7pm on a random Thursday, can feel myself slowly becoming one with the couch. A loud life and a quiet one, with almost nothing in between.

Connecting people is the thing I'm actually best at. I read the rooms, I invent the games, I'm the one making introductions so nobody stands by the snack table alone. But we've all gotten great at scrolling and terrible at waving. The bar two blocks away is having its best night of the week, and the algorithm would rather show you a ninth video of a guy frying an egg. So I built MapChat to fix the part I kept getting stuck on. Not the party. The doorway.

Open it, see who's actually out, and find the room that fits your mood, whether that's a tiki bar, a gay bar, a karaoke spot, or all three blended into drag karaoke (five places in L.A. do it, and yes, I've ranked them). A wave or a quick game breaks the ice for you, so "hi" stops being the scariest word in the language.

One promise I'm stubborn about: MapChat uses your phone to get you off your phone. Connect, have fun, then pocket it and go be a person. No doom-scroll, no selling your location, just proof that an app can be one of the good ones.

Come out and play. I'll probably be at karaoke.

Benji

Good questions

Before you come out.

Yes. Download, find what's happening near you, wave, and play for free. We'll always keep the core experience of getting out and meeting people free.

Especially for you. MapChat is built around removing the scary parts of going out: you can see who's there before you arrive, a wave does the introduction for you, and the games give the whole room a shared thing to talk about. No cold opening lines, no performing, just easy, low-stakes ways in.

MapChat uses your location to surface bars, restaurants and events within walking distance, and shows live activity: who's interested, who's checked in, and where it's busy right now. You're only visible in a venue when you choose to check in.

You're in control. You only appear in a venue room when you check in, chats only open when a wave is mutual, and you can unmatch or hide at any time. We never show your exact live location to strangers, just that you're at a venue, when you choose to be.

Think Jackbox, but the players are the real people around you. Our first game, Imprompto, is a prompt-card party game hosted by our mascot Chrys. Everyone in the venue can join from their phone. More games (Crowd Oracle, Pair Play and others) are on the way.

MapChat is live right now in LA, DC, New York, Boston, and Monadnock, on both iOS and Android, and we're lighting up new cities one by one. Download the app to see what's happening near you, and if your area is quiet, your check-ins help bring it to life.

your next night out is already happening

Come out and PLAY.

Download MapChat, open the map, and find your way into the room. Tonight's the easy part now.

Download on the
App Store GET IT ON
Google Play