The more digital the world becomes, the more valuable real life gets.
Watching something on an IG Story is not the same as being in the room when it happens.
In a world where information is abundant and democratized, relationships are currency. People want to work with people they actually know. In-person connection is far more powerful than a social graph.
The IRL Economy Is Back.
Over the past three months alone, I’ve seen more than $750M flow into companies focused on real-world connection.
Experiences. Events (and event tech). Clubs. Communities. Pick and shovel businesses. Concept venues. Festivals and gatherings.
Why? Because when everything becomes digital, scarcity moves to the physical world.
This week, the industry migrates to South by Southwest (SXSW). For a few days each year, Austin becomes a collision point for tech, media, music, and venture capital.
Then, the energy shifts to Miami, where Winter Music Conference (WMC) takes over the city before culminating at Ultra Music Festival.
At these conferences and festivals, thousands of artists, founders, investors, and marketers will all be in the same rooms; no algorithm required.
Coming from the live artist business—and now working at the intersection of culture, technology, and brands—my prediction is simple: Over the next five years, the most powerful companies will combine AI leverage with real-world community.
AI scales information, but IRL scales trust. The companies that master both will dominate culture.
If you’re heading to SXSW, our friends at top-tier influencer firm, Influential, just published one of the best master lists of events I have seen. All the RSVP links are there, and it’s a great way to navigate the chaos.
If you’re coming to Miami, I’ll be speaking at WMC on Wednesday, March 25. We secured a discount code for readers of Beats + Bytes. Use BPLUSB20 in the Gift Cards section when checking out here.
And if you want to see where AI and culture collide in real life, we’re hosting ClawCon Miami also on March 25 at Midline Miami. ClawCon lands right in the middle of the Miami Open and WMC.
We’re bringing together some of the most interesting builders in Claude Code and the ClawCode ecosystem for demos, music, and a night to remember.
There’s a lot of cultural gravity packed into the next couple weeks. Come connect with us!
Jesse Kirshbaum
Co-Founder of Nue