Two Toronto founders ditch their $35,000 app to help people connect in real life

Two entrepreneurs who spent $35,000 building an app to help people connect decided to scrap the project in favour of a physical community space in Toronto.

Adam Lewis and Graeme Davis originally envisioned a digital platform where people could find others with similar interests, skills and goals, but by July 2025, the founders abandoned the app after coming to terms with the fact that another online platform wasn't going to solve the problem they were interested in.

Their change of direction comes as social isolation remains a growing concern here in Toronto. According to the Toronto Social Capital Study 2022, nearly 40 per cent of residents said they had nobody to depend on when they really needed help, up from 27 per cent in 2018.

Instead of getting folks to connect through a screen, the pair opened up Pluto, a "fourth space" for community, co-creation, and co-working in October 2025.

The 4,500-square-foot curated membership community combines elements of a social club, wellness studio, and co-working space.  According to its founders, Pluto has grown to include roughly 250 members in less than a year.

Rather than limiting activities to events organized by the business, members can use the versatile space to host dinners, teach classes, start clubs, make art, or work on business ideas.

Past activities have included alcohol-free dance events, farm-to-table dinners, meditation programs, wellness retreats, and music and art gatherings. Two members have even gone on to develop a personal finance app after meeting through the community space.

"The magic isn't the room itself. It's what the room makes possible. We see our role as creating the conditions for people to connect, feel comfortable being themselves, and contribute whatever gifts, ideas, or energy they have to offer," said Davis, co-founder of Pluto. 

"When you give people space, trust, and permission to create, the community starts generating things we never could have designed from the top down. That's when you stop programming a space and start cultivating a living community."

The founders describe the space as a "regenerative community" where members can connect over communal dinners, workshops, and shared business ideas.

Memberships at the fourth space are currently waitlisted, but those interested can still apply online.

Pluto is located on the ground level of 60 Sumach St.