Neya uses AI to rebuild neighborhood connection, at a moment when the prevailing story is that AI will finish off whatever human connection the feed left standing. Rob Chapman and Harry Hobson take that head-on: what they're building, why the business model charges for a connection made rather than attention held, and why they'd rather grow slowly than be a platform people aren't sure about.
Disclosure: Keiron is an investor in Neya.
Time Stamps:
00:00 - What makes Neya feel different
00:22 – Spark Of Trust - A Spark With Rob Chapman & Harry Hobson, Part II
00:54 - Welcome back to part two: what Neya is, and why the founders chose AI
04:00 - The AI super neighbor: hosting, moderating, and purposeful orchestration
09:31 - The founders' biggest risk, and a day in the life of Neya
13:41 - Building community at the pace of trust, and the latent demand to help
15:50 - Faint needs, conditional preferences, and the marketplace behind them
19:57 - Why local requests go unanswered today, and building a business model around trust instead of attention
27:57 - Where AI erodes trust, and rebuilding it through people and place
32:36 - What success looks like, legacy, and measuring impact without gaming the metric
40:12 - Early evidence, scaling partnerships, and the vision of a new institution
44:56 - One spark for listeners, and closing thoughts
Find your people nearby. Neya helps you find local groups, events and neighbours who share your interests, so you can feel more at home where you live.
The paired essay, "You Don't Build Trust by Telling Someone to Trust You", is at https://www.sparkoftrust.com/p/you-dont-build-trust-by-telling-someone-to-trust-you
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Our guests' views are their own, shared to encourage honest conversation. They don't necessarily reflect those of Spark of Trust or the host, and nothing here is legal, financial, medical, or professional advice.
Until next time, keep being the spark that ignites the Trust Revolution
