North West based start-up GigMate will launch its free, loneliness-fighting, Apple and Android mobile app next week (Wednesday October 4).
GigMate founder, Liverpool-based Rob March, developed the idea for the free GIigMate service during the Covid lockdowns. March, having worked in Live Events for over 20 years, struggled both personally and professionally when Live Events were stopped.
Recognising the increasing issues of loneliness and lack of meaningful connections exacerbated by the pandemic, March founded GigMate in 2022 to bring people together through a shared love of live music.
GigMate provides a matching service for people with shared musical interests to find fellow music fans to experience live events together. The App allows members to “Find Your Tribe” by engaging with like-minded people.and join groups based on their music preferences.
With 9m Britons reporting frequent feelings of loneliness and 40% of 16-24-year-olds often feeling lonely, GIGMATE aims to combat loneliness and improve wellbeing by facilitating supportive connections through live events.
GigMate has already found a number of high profile supporters including Lauren Laverne and Craig Charles. March had the opportunity to discuss the service at length on Laverne’s BBC 6 Music show last year and even had the chance to pick five of his favourite songs to play out live. Charles also gave the app a glowing review on his 6 Music show, while March has also appeared on the High Performance Podcast.
GigMate has already had a solid 2023 ahead of the app launch. In May it won the What’s Your Problem funding competition, which provided some much needed financial support to help develop the service. In June it won the NW StartUp Award for Events and Hospitality. The team has been busy over the summer researching and developing the new Android and iOS App which will launch on October 4.
“The App will be a game changer for the GigMate service and will deliver a much improved user experience and additional functionality based on extensive research,” said March. “We will be launching the App as a free service so it is as accessible as possible for everyone to join in.”
GigMate members can select their connections based on gender, age, music preferences and group size. The App includes safeguarding guidelines for online and real life meet-ups.
Though still a young company, GigMate has ambitious plans to offer its services across the UK and beyond. By facilitating supportive relationships and tackling social isolation through community building and live events, GigMate aims to make a meaningful impact on loneliness, which it says is one of today’s most pressing societal issues.
