Revel

Revel operated an online-to-offline social community targeting women over 40. The company was founded in June 2019 by Lisa Marrone and Alexa Wahr and was headquartered in San Francisco. PitchBook data indicates the company ceased operations as of February 2023.

The founders, Lisa Marrone and Alexa Wahr, met at Harvard Business School and launched Revel while in their mid-thirties, aiming to build a platform they would want to use as they aged. Marrone, who served as CEO, was inspired by her mother's social renaissance after she went to college. Her professional background includes roles as an early-stage technology investor at August Capital, a consultant at Bain & Company, and a position at the National Economic Council during the Obama Administration. She holds a JD/MBA from Harvard and an undergraduate degree from Yale in biology and economics. Wahr, the COO, previously worked in operations at Bright Health, in strategy at Target, and as a healthcare investment banking analyst. She holds a BBA from Emory University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

The platform was designed to help women in midlife navigate transitions like menopause, empty nests, and retirement by fostering connections through events and online groups. The business model was membership-based, providing access to a calendar of events and topic-specific online communities. Events were a mix of virtual and in-person gatherings, with members organizing hundreds of events monthly, from yoga and meditation to cocktail hours and book clubs. The company emphasized safety and trust, approving every event to maintain a welcoming environment. A key differentiator was its policy of not featuring advertising or selling user data.

Initially launched in the San Francisco Bay Area with in-person events, the company pivoted to include virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Revel participated in the Y Combinator accelerator program in the summer of 2019. The company secured approximately $6.15 million in total funding, with its last seed round in August 2021. A significant milestone was the August 2021 acquisition of The Woolfer, a New York-based social platform for women over 40, which doubled Revel's community size and expanded its national presence.

Keywords: women's social network, community for women over 40, midlife community, Lisa Marrone, Alexa Wahr, Y Combinator, online to offline events, women's social club, peer support, empty nest support, menopause community, virtual events, in-person gatherings, AgeTech, social platform, The Woolfer, member-hosted events, female founders, Harvard Business School alumni