Have you ever missed a catch-up with a friend simply because you didn't know they were nearby, in the same building, or free for a quick coffee?

Anyone who's tried organising a casual team lunch or a spontaneous work catch-up knows the frustration. The idea was born during a postgraduate degree, where coordinating after-class drinks — a seemingly simple thing — turned into a logistical nightmare. One afternoon, sitting with a couple of friends at a local bar, the conversation turned to a shared frustration: why is it so hard to connect with people you already know, when you're already in the same place?

The unanimous verdict: there had to be a better way than shouting into yet another group chat that nobody responds to.

For someone who values in-person connection, that problem lingered. And then the world changed. The shift to hybrid working made those spontaneous, unplanned moments of human connection even rarer — the kind that used to happen naturally in offices, campuses, and city streets.

So, after months of thinking it through, the tinkering began. With rusty coding skills, a lot of patience, and some AI-assisted help, a basic MVP took shape — built to solve one simple problem: letting people broadcast their availability to nearby friends or colleagues for a quick, low-commitment catch-up.

No complex scheduling. No group chats ignored by everyone. Just a simple signal: I'm here. I'm free. Who's nearby?

... and 1Drink.io was born.

Bringing people together, 1Drink at a time.