For Rural Communities, Connection is Everything
If no one knows what’s happening, how can they show up?
For too long, rural businesses, events, and local services have struggled—not because they aren’t valuable, but because they aren’t visible. Information is scattered, word-of-mouth only goes so far, and major platforms overlook small towns, making it harder for people to find what’s right in their own backyard.
Whether it’s a family-owned business, a local festival, a volunteer opportunity, or a hiking trail, people should be able to discover what’s around them without frustration.
That’s why we’re building Nearby Nearby—to bring rural communities into focus and make local discovery effortless.
A Milestone Years in the Making
This isn’t something that happened overnight.
It started with Chatham County Events, where we grew to 2 million unique users annually—a clear sign that rural communities want to support local businesses, attend events, and stay connected. But they need a better way to find what’s around them.
That success proved what we already knew: rural communities aren’t lacking in opportunity—they’re lacking visibility.
Nearby Nearby is the next step. It takes everything that worked in Chatham County and scales it into a platform that serves not just one county, but rural communities everywhere.
After years of researching, filing patents, securing trademarks and copyrights, and navigating countless meetings with lawyers and specialists, we’ve reached a major milestone. Nearby Nearby isn’t just an idea—it’s becoming a reality.
Along the way, we’ve been backed by some of the most respected startup accelerator programs, including the CED GRO Accelerator, Campbell University Camel Accelerator, and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Accelerator.These programs have helped us refine our vision, connect with industry leaders, and position Nearby Nearby for long-term impact.
These programs aren’t just names on a resume—they’re proof that what we’re building matters.
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about launching a platform—it’s about making sure rural communities are seen, valued, and supported the way they always should have been. And we’re just getting started.
What Happens When Rural Communities Are Connected?
Rural communities aren’t disconnected because they lack opportunity. They’re disconnected because finding what’s already there is too difficult.
Most platforms weren’t built for rural America. They assume large marketing budgets, high-speed internet, dense populations, and constant foot traffic. But rural towns don’t operate that way. Businesses are spread out. Events rely on word-of-mouth.And good luck finding a park or trail without outdated directions that send you driving through three farmers’ fields, only to end up nowhere near an actual park.
That’s why Nearby Nearby was built differently—because rural America deserves a platform designed for how it actually lives, works, and thrives.
Imagine a place where:
- You always know what’s happening—whether it’s a local festival, a 4-H event, or a weekend farmer’s market.
- Local businesses are the first choice because they’re easy to find—not buried under paid ads or lost in outdated directories.
- Job openings, volunteer opportunities, and community resources aren’t scattered across different sites but gathered in one place, ready when you need them.
- Finding a park or trail doesn’t feel like a scavenger hunt. You know exactly where to go, where to park, and what to expect when you get there.
That’s the world Nearby Nearby is building. With One Search, everything that makes a rural community strong—its businesses, events, services, and outdoor spaces—won’t be hidden in the background anymore. They’ll be front and center, right where they belong.
And because rural America doesn’t have the luxury of assuming perfect internet access, we’ve partnered with Atomic Object to develop a lightweight, high-speed platform that works even in areas with unreliable connectivity.
Because visibility isn’t just about being on a map—it’s about being accessible to the people who need it most.
This isn’t about leveling the playing field or trying to fit rural America into a system that was never built for it.
This is about building something better—something made for rural communities from the start.
The Power of One Search
Finding what you need in a rural town shouldn’t feel like solving a mystery.
Right now, if you’re looking for something local, you have to piece it together. You check Google for businesses, Facebook for events, a government website for resources, a tourism site for parks—and half the time, you still come up empty and probably frustrated trying to map out all these locations.
One Search changes that, you don’t have to know what to search for—you just have to search.
Instead of searching for one thing at a time—a business, an event, a park, a job listing—One Search pulls it all together in a single search, instantly.
Here’s how it works:
- Type in a location—your town, a place you’re visiting, or just “near me.”
- Instantly, you see everything around you—local businesses, upcoming events, parks, trails, job postings, volunteer opportunities, and community resources.
- No flipping between apps. No outdated directories. No paid ads controlling what you see. Just real, useful information based purely on location.
Imagine searching for a coffee shop and also seeing a local bakery, a farmer’s market happening down the street, and a new hiking trail just a few miles away. Or looking for a mechanic and also finding a hardware store nearby, a local event this weekend, and a community organization offering resources.
It’s not just a search. It’s a full picture of what’s happening around you—without the gaps.
What’s Next?
We’re starting in Chatham County, NC, building out a very basic version of Nearby Nearby to make sure everything works the way it should—for the people who will actually use it.
Our goal is to launch by June 2025, so we can gather feedback, fine-tune what’s needed, and make sure it’s as simple and useful as possible before expanding.
After that, we’ll start adding a few extra features while we raise the funds needed to build out the full platform and grow faster.
This isn’t about rushing—it’s about getting it right so Nearby Nearby truly works for rural communities.
We’re building this with you, for you. And we can’t wait to bring it to life.
