Outernet Wants to Turn Your Saved Posts Into Real-World Adventures
Danielle Egan and Athena Leong have built a reputation for creating unusual, joyful ways to get people out of the house. Together, they have organized a citywide scavenger hunt in San Francisco, transformed a viral joke into a one-night-only restaurant experience in New York City, and even launched a playful “sit club” where people gather outdoors with chairs simply to relax and socialize.
Now, they are bringing that same sense of creativity and offline fun into a new startup called Outernet.
The idea behind Outernet is simple: use the internet as a launchpad for real-life experiences. Instead of endlessly scrolling through social media and saving posts you’ll probably forget, the app helps turn those saved ideas into an organized list of places to visit, events to attend, and activities to try.
Outernet is designed for people who constantly discover restaurants, pop-ups, bars, community events, concerts, hikes, galleries, markets, and hidden city gems on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Most users already save those posts inside social apps, but those saved folders often become digital junk drawers. Outernet aims to solve that problem by collecting everything in one place and making it easier to actually follow through.
Egan describes the app as a “motivation engine for IRL,” built to close the gap between wanting to do something and actually leaving the house to do it. Her background includes product and business operations, but her passion has long been focused on creating surprising, delightful offline experiences.
“I’m very passionate about getting people to go outside and do things,” Egan said. “I love capturing attention in unexpected ways and delivering delightful things.”
How Outernet works
When users find something interesting online, they can share it directly to Outernet from the original app. For example, if someone sees a TikTok about a new ramen spot, an Instagram post about a weekend flea market, or a website listing a local art show, they can send it to Outernet and save it for later.
The app also allows users to paste social media URLs or website links directly into Outernet. If they spot a flyer in the real world, they can upload a photo and save that too.
Outernet then uses AI to extract useful details from the content, such as the event date, time, location, venue, and description. Events are placed into a chronological feed, making it easy to browse upcoming plans when users are looking for something to do. Places and activities without specific dates are organized separately, so users can build a personal guide to restaurants, landmarks, bars, shops, and experiences they want to check out.
The app also includes map viewing and calendar integration, allowing users to save events to Apple Calendar or Google Calendar. To help people follow through, Outernet can send reminders and nudges when something they saved is coming up.
A digital passport for real-life experiences
Outernet is not just about saving recommendations. The founders also want the app to feel rewarding once users start exploring.
As people visit saved places or attend events, they can “stamp” them inside the app. Over time, this creates a kind of digital passport that documents real-world experiences. The team is exploring more ways to make this feature social and rewarding, including milestone-based stamps and other light gamification tools.
The goal is not to make the app feel like another productivity tool. Instead, Egan and Leong want Outernet to feel playful, personal, and motivating. They want users to look back at what they have done, feel proud of their adventures, and maybe even share those experiences with friends.
From scavenger hunts to a social discovery app
The inspiration for Outernet came from the founders’ experience creating Pursuit, a monthlong citywide scavenger hunt in San Francisco. The event began three years ago and has since become an annual tradition. In its most recent run, it attracted participation from about 1.5% of San Francisco’s population.
While talking with participants, Egan and Leong noticed something interesting. Many people were not joining because they were obsessed with scavenger hunts or adventure games. They were joining because they wanted a reason to go outside, explore their city, and connect with others.
That realization became the foundation for Outernet.
Leong, whose background includes computer science, child development, and adventure game design, said the demand for offline experiences is growing. People are looking for excuses to leave their routines, discover new places, and participate in community life.
Egan also sees a major opportunity to support local organizers. Across cities, there are countless community events run by passionate people, but many of those organizers struggle to reach the right audience. Outernet could become a bridge between people looking for things to do and organizers trying to fill rooms, parks, galleries, and venues.
A growing app for people who want more offline fun
Outernet has only been available for a short time, but it is already gaining traction. The app has around 18,000 users and is generating revenue through a premium subscription. The paid plan costs $6.99 per month or $39.99 per year and allows users to save more items each day.
For now, Outernet is invite-only and available on iOS. An Android waitlist is also open for future users.
The founders are also having early conversations with potential investors, though they say finding the right partners matters more than moving quickly. Leong emphasized that the company has a distinct personality and needs supporters who understand its playful mission.
“We’re whimsical, and we have to find investors that match,” she said.
Outernet arrives at a moment when many people are rethinking their relationship with social media. The internet is full of inspiration, but it often keeps users trapped in the same cycle of scrolling, saving, and forgetting. Outernet wants to change that by turning online discovery into real-world action.
For anyone with a camera roll full of event flyers, an Instagram folder packed with restaurant recommendations, or a long list of “someday” city adventures, Outernet offers a simple promise: save the idea, get reminded, go outside, and make it happen.
