It’s no secret that over the past decade, we’ve seen a decline in physical events. Whether it’s economic pressures closing down businesses, financial constraints causing people to stay home to save money, or a lack of accessible spaces, these issues have affected the way we view traditional forms of socializing.
However, with more people yearning for more social interaction away from an increasingly online world, a rise in curated experiences, festivals, and gatherings is serving as a pushback to digitalization. Enter Best Nights VC.
As the venture capital arm of beverage brand Jägermeister, Best Nights VC invests in early-stage companies, providing support and a roadmap for expansion along the supply chain for the nightlife and community industry. Its mission statement: empowering ventures innovating in nightlife culture and bringing people together in real life more sustainably, inclusively, qualitatively, and quantitatively, looks to the next generation of innovators and collectives that are reviving IRL connections.
“We’re driven by a deep belief in the power of real-life connections and experiences,” Lorrain de Silva, Managing Director of Best Nights VC, tells Hypebeast. “We empower bold, innovative ventures across the entire nightlife supply chain. By investing in a portfolio creating real-life connections and meaningful experiences, we help bring people joy, support mental wellbeing, and foster a deeper sense of togetherness.”
As more third-space venues close down due to economic pressures, and loneliness becoming evermore prevalent in an ironically more connected world, Best Nights VC views the nightlife scene as an economic driver in itself. The industry not only props up local businesses, drives tourism and keeps the creative industry alive, but also supports talent and the return of human connections through real-life experiences.
Since launching over three years ago, Best Nights VC has been doing its part by investing in ventures that are creatively enabling this. “Nightlife isn’t just about fun — it’s a cultural engine and an economic force,” de Silva says. “Cities that embrace accessible and inclusive nightlife don’t just attract talent — they keep it.”
With an ethos of positively making an impact on the nightlife ecosystem, the venture capital firm boasts a growing portfolio of 16 active companies globally. From supporting 222 to bring its platform of facilitating real-life social interaction from LA to Europe and recently launching in the UK; Lapee, a urinal for women and non-binary people making nightlife more inclusive; Plots, an event discovery platform keeping people connected beyond the party; Woov, the app making the festival experience seamless; London-based UN:HURD creating a level playing field for independent artists; or New York’s LGBTQ+ social app LEX, encouraging people to connect and build local communities – these start-ups together have delivered over 70 million experiences worldwide with the help of Best Nights VC.
If you’ve got a start-up that is focused on IRL, meaningful connections and community, Best Nights VC wants to hear from you. Visit the venture capital’s website and see how you can apply.
