Nimi – Where Art Meets Friendship in London’s New Social Scene

• What is Nimi? A platform that lets people book curated art and culture experiences together in small groups – like a “ClassPass for culture” – turning museum and gallery visits into social, welcoming meetups with likeminded strangers. It’s designed for millennials and Gen Z in big cities who crave both intellectual stimulation and new social connections.

  • Nimi was founded by Anh Nguyen after a decade-long career in banking, driven by her passion for the arts and connecting people. Nimi is backed by the University of Chicago Booth Business School as the winner of the university’s prestigious venture challenge and received angel investments from 35+ angel investors to scale the platform globally.

• The Big Idea: Combating urban loneliness by reinventing art spaces as the new third spaces. In a world where 1 in 3 millennials often feels lonely, Nimi provides an easy way to find community and conversation through shared cultural outings. It aligns with trends like friend-making apps and supper clubs in tapping a generation that’s actively seeking offline connection (LA Times, The Independent). Recent FT analysis highlights that young adults in English-speaking countries report the steepest rises in unhappiness and loneliness, underscoring the urgency of new models for social connection (FT Data Points).

• Generational Shift in Art Engagement: Nimi addresses the gap between young adults and traditional art institutions. Millennials are the largest cultural audience today, but often feel art spaces are intimidating or not for them. The average museum member is 65, and museums face “dwindling attendance and aging audiences”. Nimi’s friendly group format and casual approach make art accessible – 20% of Nimi users rarely visited museums before, but now attend frequently.

• Key Stats & Growth:

  • 💬 User satisfaction: Nearly 80% of users rate Nimi “very good” or “excellent”. NPS = 94 (world-class level loyalty). Top descriptors: “welcoming” (77%) and “diverse” (73%) community.
  • 🎟 Traction: 1,000+ beta users, 1,500+ bookings to date, 60+ partner venues. Achieved zero CAC (all organic growth) – indicating strong word-of-mouth demand.
  • 🔁 Retention: 53% of members already attend 5+ events, making art-going a regular habit (vs. <2 visits/year among self-identified cultural consumers in the UK). 30% had no other way to meet new people before Nimi, showing Nimi brings new audiences into the fold.
  • 👥 Behavioural insights: 90%+ report making a new friend or connection. Average group rating for “felt welcomed and included” = 4.8/5 (internal surveys). Two emerging social behaviours: “friends with intellectual benefits” (mutual inspirations, low commitments, casual encounters) vs. those seeking deeper connection and real-life friendships.

• User Voice – Quotes:

  “Instead of chasing the latest craze on TikTok, it’s so refreshing that Nimi enables a cozy get-together... Art gets us talking.” – Sheila, 32, first-time Nimi attendee (consultancy)

  “I’m pretty much the only person in London without friends… events and apps felt intimidating. Nimi was different – wholesome, no pressure.” – Ananya, 28 (banking)

  “Nimi is a great place to explore my hidden creative mind, helping to unwind from work.” – Dan, 35 (accountancy)

• Cultural Moment – Why Now: There’s a spotlight on loneliness and community-building:

  • The UK appointed a Minister for Loneliness amid rising isolation; startups tackling this (friend apps, etc.) are on the rise (Financial Times).
  • Millennials and Gen Z are shifting from bars to social activities (running clubs, creative meetups). The Independent notes these are “powerful potential tonics to chronic loneliness” (The Independent, The Independent). FT highlighted how loneliness is disproportionately affecting millennials and Gen Z, with correlation between social isolation, wellbeing, and urban demographics (FT Data Points).
  • Art institutions are seeking younger engagement. The Art Newspaper reports on efforts to make museums “relevant and accessible to young audiences” (The Art Newspaper) – Nimi is practically a case study in doing exactly that, bridging cultural content with social format.

• Competitive/Analogous Examples: Nimi stands out in the arts, but parallels exist:

  • Timeleft (dinner meetups app) – fights “big-city loneliness” by matching strangers for meals (LA Times)
  • Camp Social (adult camp) – sold out in 24h; everyone “comes solo and leaves as friends” (Entrepreneur.com)
  • Unplugged (digital detox cabins) – thriving on the desire to unplug and connect in real life (The Guardian)
  • Museum Lates & Social Clubs – from the V&A’s Friday Lates to Soho House, the trend is experiences that blend culture with community. Nimi is the independent, grassroots version riding this wave.

• Press Contact & Links:

  Website: nimi.live

  Press Contact: Anh Nguyen, Founder & CEO – Available for interviews or event site visits. Full press kit available.

  Recent relevant coverage: Los Angeles Times on Timeleft, Business Insider on Gen Z supper clubs, The Guardian on loneliness trends – to contextualize Nimi’s relevance. (Nimi has not yet been profiled in major media – this is a fresh story opportunity.)