Munich Startup: What does Netme do? What problem are you solving?
Karim Yamani: Netme is the real-life social app that brings people together in real life again. While other platforms keep users glued to their screens endlessly, Netme turns the tables: our smart invitation system brings people together spontaneously and locally for real encounters – without swiping, without endless small talk, without pressure. We create real encounters in an increasingly digital world.
Munich Startup: But that already exists!
Karim Yamani: Not like ours. Most apps rely on long chats, superficial swiping, and endless digital interaction. We deliberately skip pre-meeting chats and focus on real meetings: only when both sides accept an invitation does a temporary chat unlock shortly before the meetup. That way, encounters are created, not chat histories.
Netme’s founding story: frustration as motivation
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Karim Yamani: The idea came from personal frustration: we were frustrated by how difficult it had become to meet new people in real life – despite, or perhaps because of all the apps out there. So we founded Netme in 2017 to use technology for what it’s actually meant to do: connect people.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Karim Yamani: The hardest part was thinking consistently against the mainstream. Our concept contradicts classic app logic like endless engagement or gamified swiping – which made it harder to convince investors and partners from the start. Additionally, building our invitation system technically was more complex than expected. But this very clarity in our concept is our greatest strength today.
First users, funding, and hybrid business model
Munich Startup: How is business going?
Karim Yamani: We successfully completed our first funding round. Our beta version has already reached over 1,000 users. Since September 2025, our new version has been officially on the market – with strong growth, increasing visibility, and high user activity. We’re pursuing a hybrid B2C and B2B model: premium features for end users and partnerships with local brands and locations.
Within a year, we want to be active in several major German cities and expand local partnerships further. In five years, we want to be Europe’s leading platform for spontaneous real encounters – and prove that social apps can bring people back to the real world.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced the Munich startup ecosystem so far?
Karim Yamani: Munich is the perfect place for us to start: a strong network, many open doors, and people ready to test new ideas. At the same time, there’s enough critical feedback here to make products truly market-ready – that has helped us enormously.
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Karim Yamani: Clearly risk – but with purpose. We deliberately take new paths because we’re convinced that real encounters are what people need most. And because we know: whoever doesn’t risk anything, creates nothing new.
