5 Social Media & Networking Startup Ideas

Fresh platforms, smarter connections, and a post-algorithm internet — here’s where social is heading next.

"The next big thing will start out looking like a toy."
— Chris Dixon, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz —

What does the social internet look like after the algorithm fatigue, attention crashes, and dopamine detoxes? It’s 2025, and a new wave of social startups is pushing back against incumbents like Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) — not by competing on scale, but by targeting niches, building real communities, and prioritising trust and authenticity over virality.

In this edition of Invisible Founders, we explore five startup ideas in the social media and networking space.

For each one, we break down:

• What it does

• Target market

• Market size

• Competitive landscape

• Unique value proposition

• Revenue model

• Potential challenges

• Growth strategy

Whether you're a future startup founder, angel investor, or just social-curious, these ideas might just get your gears turning.

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Now, let’s jump into 5 Social Media & Network Marketing startup ideas!