Small talk. Intros. Follow-ups. Practiced, not studied.
Guided one-on-one rounds, a new person every eight minutes. Ten rounds a night to practice the skills behind every friendship and every career: opening, asking, listening, following up. Friends or your field, same format.
Ten rounds, one person at a time, then the room opens up. You know who, for how long, and why.
Three steps.
You always know who you’re meeting, how long you’ll talk, and why they came. No guesswork, no surprises.
You arrive.
Every event is curated around a theme, a hobby, a scene, or an industry, so the moment you walk in you already know why everyone came. A host runs the room, the venue is public, and within a few minutes we pair you with your first person. Skill one, the approach, is handled for you.
One-on-one rounds.
Eight minutes, one person, then the next, and you always know who’s across from you and when it ends. Opening, asking, listening, keeping your story short, leaving well. The clock handles that last one until you don’t need it to.
The group forms itself.
After the rounds, the room opens up: dinner, a walk, a bar, a coffee next week. Now it’s a crowd, but one where you know everyone by name. Working a big room is the last skill of the night, and this is the easiest room to learn it in.
What an event actually feels like.
San Francisco · 2026
You’re not joining a mixer. You’re joining your people.
Every event has a theme, from foodies to founders. Friendship nights for the social skills. Professional rounds for people who know the person across the table might be their next coworker, collaborator, or cofounder. Same format, different room.
Book a seat.
Live events in San Francisco, bookable in a few taps. No app required to attend.
Nobody learned small talk from a screen. Ten rounds a night is how you actually get good at it.
Walk in alone. Leave with plans.
Show up, get seven or more conversations in one night, and leave with new friends, a collaborator, or someone who knows someone. Premium adds matching for people who want to maximize their time, but the format works without it.
- No app required to attend
- Public venues only
- A host in every room
Revitalize a third place.
Local cafés, bars, bookstores, and coworking spaces: Gist turns empty seats into active community hubs. We bring the format, the audience, and the payments. You bring the vibes.
- 70% revenue share
- Easy payouts setup
