In this week's episode, we speak with Maxime Barbier, founder and CEO of TimeLeft. The fast-growing social dining platform is bringing strangers together for shared experiences around the world.
Launched in 2020, TimeLeft has evolved through four major pivots before finding its winning formula: small-group dinners in cities worldwide. Today, the subscription-based service operates in 250+ cities across 50+ countries, matching groups of six for midweek restaurant meetups, with new formats including women-only nights, bar meetups, and even group runs.
Barbier shares the lessons learned from his early career as a nightclub promoter, through building social media brands, to creating a platform designed to fight loneliness by fostering in-person connections. TimeLeft deliberately avoids the trappings of dating apps—no profile pictures, minimal preconceptions—to focus on authentic interactions and friendships, though romance sometimes blossoms.
The company’s matching algorithm uses personality testing, language preferences, budget, and group balance to create engaging, comfortable evenings for its 3 million users. With word-of-mouth growth fuelled by media interest in combating loneliness, TimeLeft has become a leader in the emerging “IRL tech” space.
Looking ahead, Barbier envisions TimeLeft not only helping people meet new friends but also strengthening existing friendships—potentially using AI to prompt and arrange meetups. For him, the mission is clear: use technology to create more meaningful moments in the limited “time left” we all have.
