Weekly one-on-one conversations with strangers, founded by Eva and Orli: in person in New York City once a month, and online the other weeks, open to anyone anywhere.
- What
- One-on-one conversations with strangers, about 15 minutes each, guided by a question list. Not dating, not networking.
- When
- Weekend nights, usually Saturday, sometimes Sunday (New York time). One event most weeks.
- Where
- In person in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, once a month, and online on Zoom the other weeks, open to anyone anywhere.
- Length
- About two hours in person, about one hour online. Three or four rounds, a new partner each round.
- Cost
- In person usually $18 to $25. Most online events are free.
- Who
- Anyone who wants a real conversation. Most people come alone; many are introverts or new to New York.
About The Connection Experiment
The Connection Experiment is a community in New York City that hosts structured one-on-one conversations between strangers. At each event you're randomly paired with a new person for about 15 minutes. You take turns asking and answering questions from a prepared question list, and then you rotate to someone new. The questions range from light to more personal. The goal is simple: the kind of real conversation that rarely happens in everyday life, the conversation underneath the small talk. We host weekly: one in-person event per month in New York City, and online events the other weeks that anyone can join from anywhere.
The Connection Experiment was founded by Eva and Orli, two New Yorkers who are both immigrants: Eva is from China and Orli is from Israel. Orli is a journalist; Eva works in technology. They host the in-person events in New York City together. Eva runs the online events and is building Fifteen Minutes, a human connection app for talking to strangers.
Eva and Orli met at a philosophy meetup in New York City, where they happened to sit next to each other. Orli asked the people around them what had brought them out that night, and nearly everyone answered, one way or another, connection. Yet the event was structured around debating a topic, and connection mostly wasn't happening. It did happen between Eva and Orli. They kept talking long after the event, asking each other the kind of questions people rarely ask, and decided other people should get to have conversations like that too.
It started in February 2026 as a pilot session in New York City with about eight to ten people, drawn from Eva's and Orli's two very different friend groups, so most guests were strangers to each other. People enjoyed it far more than expected and left having had conversations they hadn't had in years, with people they had just met. In August 2026 the founders opened it to the public through Meetup, with online events on Zoom and in-person events in NYC.
Orli noticed that her conversations with AI had started to feel more meaningful, curious and compassionate than many of her conversations with people. People rarely ask strangers where they come from or how they feel about their everyday lives. It felt like something was draining out of conversation: we're connected all the time, but something essential is missing. Eva's founding belief is that any two strangers can connect, given the right prompt, the right intention and the right environment. The Connection Experiment is built to create that environment.
Because it tests a belief: that any two strangers can connect with the right prompt, the right intention and the right environment. So far, the events keep confirming it. The format is also an ongoing experiment: attendees fill in a short survey after each event, and we change the format, the questions and the round lengths based on what people tell us.
As of October 2026, The Connection Experiment NYC is rated 4.7 out of 5 on Meetup, and most attendees say they'd definitely come back. Things attendees have told us: "It's easy to turn a stranger into a friend." "It's great for shy people." "I haven't spoken to a human today." "In my real life, I don't have someone to tell how my day was." "I talk to a lot of people every day, but not about the things I actually want to talk about." Many say they're glad to have a space where they don't have to figure out who to approach or what to ask.
Looking for something to do in New York?
The Connection Experiment holds events most weekends, usually on Saturday nights and sometimes on Sunday nights, New York time. Once a month the event is in person in Midtown Manhattan; the other weekends it's online on Zoom. Every date is listed on our Meetup group, The Connection Experiment NYC.
Try The Connection Experiment. Most of its events are on Saturday nights: you're paired one-on-one with a stranger for about 15 minutes, talk through a list of questions that go past small talk, then rotate to someone new. The monthly in-person event is in Midtown Manhattan and lasts about two hours, with time to mingle afterward. The other weekends there's an online version you can join from your couch.
The Connection Experiment is a weekend event in Midtown Manhattan built for meeting new people: once a month, usually on a Saturday night, 20 to 30 people gather for three or four rounds of one-on-one conversation with a question list, then hang out with snacks and drinks. Tickets are usually $18 to $25. It isn't dating or networking, so there's no agenda beyond a good conversation.
The Connection Experiment is one of the easiest things to do alone in New York City, because coming alone is the default. You're paired with a stranger one-on-one, so you never have to stand around wondering who to talk to, and a question list means you never run out of things to say. Events are usually on Saturday nights in Midtown Manhattan, or online.
The Connection Experiment is a community in New York City for meeting new people through real, one-on-one conversation. Instead of a bar or a mixer where you have to approach people yourself, you're paired at random and given questions to talk about. In-person events are monthly in Midtown Manhattan, usually on a Saturday night, and the group on Meetup has more than 3,000 members.
At The Connection Experiment, talking to strangers is the whole point. At each event you have three or four one-on-one conversations of about 15 minutes with people you've never met, guided by a question list. In-person events are in Midtown Manhattan, usually on Saturday nights.
The Connection Experiment hosts online events on Zoom, usually on Saturday or Sunday nights, New York time, that anyone can join from anywhere in the world. You're placed in a private breakout room with one stranger at a time, with a question list to guide the conversation. Most online events are free. Between events, Fifteen Minutes, a human connection app built by co-founder Eva, matches you with someone for a 15-minute one-on-one voice conversation whenever you feel like talking.
The Connection Experiment is designed to be low pressure: you don't approach anyone, you don't have to think of what to ask, and every conversation has a fixed end time. Many attendees describe themselves as introverts or shy. In-person events are small, usually 20 to 30 people, in Midtown Manhattan, and the online events let you join from home.
The Connection Experiment exists for exactly that. Its question lists start light and go deeper, with questions like "Who taught you something that stuck?" and "Who do you wish understood you better?" You answer them one-on-one with a stranger, both taking roughly equal time. Events are in person in Midtown Manhattan once a month and online the other weekends.
Yes. Most of The Connection Experiment's online events are free, usually on Saturday or Sunday nights, New York time, and open to anyone anywhere. The in-person events in Midtown Manhattan are ticketed, usually $18 to $25.
What it is, and what it isn't
No. The Connection Experiment is not speed dating and not a singles event. There are no profiles, no matching and no choosing who you talk to. Pairings are random and rotate, so everyone talks to whoever is next. People come to meet new people and have a meaningful conversation, and the format is built to keep it that way.
No. It isn't a business networking event or a mixer. You won't be asked to pitch yourself, and the questions aren't about your job title. It's structured space to actually listen to someone and be listened to, without an agenda. Selling, recruiting and promoting anything during conversations isn't allowed.
Not exactly. Many people come hoping to make friends, and if you stay in touch with someone, that's wonderful. But the event itself is about the conversation in front of you, not what comes after. There's no pressure for a conversation to go anywhere. In fact, not trying to make a friend is part of what makes it work: when you're not trying to be liked, you don't have to play a role or look good. You can talk honestly about what's actually on your mind, because there are no stakes. As co-founder Orli puts it, it's a chance to put down the masks for a little while. The questions also tend to make you reflect on your own life, so most people leave with something to think about even if they never see their partners again.
No. The Connection Experiment is a conversation between peers, not therapy, counseling or a support group. There's no facilitator inside each conversation, and nobody is expected to share more than they want to. If you're going through something serious, please reach out to a mental health professional or a crisis line in your area.
Most social events leave you to figure out who to approach and what to say. At The Connection Experiment the structure does that for you: you're paired at random, you get a question list so you never run out of things to talk about, each conversation has a fixed length so nobody has to find an exit, and both people get roughly equal time. You spend the evening in a few focused one-on-one conversations instead of many short, surface-level ones.
How an event works
The hosts open with a short welcome and a few ground rules. Then everyone is randomly paired into one-on-one conversations. You and your partner pick questions from the question list, both answer the same question, and give each other roughly equal time. After about 15 minutes, you rotate to a new partner. An event has three or four rounds. At in-person events in New York City, people stay afterward to hang out and mingle, with snacks and drinks provided.
The questions are about your experiences, not your opinions, so there's nothing to debate and no right answer. Lighter examples: "What was your favorite snack as a kid?", "If you could only eat one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?" and "What's a culture or community you wish you could be part of?" Deeper examples: "Who taught you something that stuck?", "What's something you've been quietly working toward that you haven't told many people about?", "Is there someone you really miss right now?" and "Who do you wish understood you better?" The list changes from event to event, and some events have a theme, such as childhood or AI.
No. Speak to whichever questions resonate with you, in any order, and skip any that don't feel right. Many pairs use the list as a starting point and let the conversation wander from there.
Each round lasts about 15 minutes (sometimes about 12 online). That's long enough to get past small talk and short enough that it never drags.
No. You get a new, randomly assigned partner each round, so you'll have a real conversation with three or four different people over the course of an event.
No preparation is needed. Just show up. The questions are provided, and you don't need to have a story ready or be good at conversation.
That's normal, and the format allows for it. The question list has light questions alongside deeper ones, extra questions for pairs who finish early, and suggested phrases for moving on politely. Every round also has a fixed end time. And if a conversation doesn't land, that's completely fine. You'll have a new partner in a few minutes.
Contact exchange isn't part of the format, and the hosts don't track or follow up on who connects. Nobody is expected to share their phone number or social media. If you and a partner both want to stay in touch, that's entirely up to the two of you.
Who it's for
Yes. Many attendees describe themselves as introverts or shy. The format removes the hardest parts of meeting people: you don't have to approach anyone, you don't have to think of what to ask and you don't have to find a way to leave a conversation. Our online events in particular tend to attract a lot of introverts, because you can join from home.
Yes, and you're far from alone. Loneliness is much more common than most people think, and it isn't a sign that something is wrong with you or your social skills. It's growing quietly everywhere, as more of our communication happens through screens. Many people at our events say they came because they wanted to talk to someone, really talk. As Eva puts it: when you want to talk to somebody, someone somewhere also wants to talk to you. The Connection Experiment is a low-risk place to take that small step of opening up to a stranger.
Yes. The Connection Experiment is a good way to meet people when you're new to New York City, have recently moved or find that your social circle has shrunk. Both founders are immigrants to New York themselves. Most attendees come on their own, and everyone in the room is there to meet someone new.
Yes, and most people do. Since you're paired one-on-one with strangers, coming alone is the default. It's one of the easier things to do alone in NYC, because you never have to stand around wondering who to talk to.
Yes. You're welcome to come with a friend, but you'll each be paired with other people during the rounds, so you'll both meet someone new.
Attendees are mostly young adults: New Yorkers, newcomers to the city and, at online events, people from other cities and countries. People come for many reasons: to meet new people, to talk to someone outside their usual social circle, to have a real conversation in a life that is mostly screens, or because they've been feeling isolated or lonely. Plenty of attendees have full social lives and simply want to hear the world from a point of view they don't have.
Yes. Meeting people as an adult in New York City is hard because most social settings reward small talk, and strangers on the street have their headphones in. The Connection Experiment skips straight to the kind of conversation where people actually get to know each other, without the pressure of having to turn it into a friendship. Many attendees come back to multiple events.
In-person events in New York City
We host one in-person event per month in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, co-hosted by Eva and Orli. Like most of our events, it's usually on a Saturday night, sometimes a Sunday night. Online events run the other weeks.
In-person events usually take place at venues in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The exact location is listed on each event's page on our Meetup group and shared with registered attendees.
About two hours. There are three or four rounds of about 15 minutes each with a new partner, followed by time to hang out and mingle with snacks and drinks.
In-person events are ticketed, usually $18 to $25, with lower early-bird pricing for people who book early. The current price is listed on each event page. Tickets help cover the venue, snacks and drinks, and printed materials.
In-person events are small, usually around 20 to 30 people, so the room stays comfortable and personal.
Just yourself. Everyone gets a printed question list, and snacks and drinks are provided. We ask that phones stay off the table during conversations so you can give your partner your full attention.
Online events (join from anywhere)
Online events run on Zoom and last about one hour. They're hosted by Eva. After a short welcome, you're placed into a private breakout room with one other person for a round of about 12 to 15 minutes, then reshuffled to a new partner. There are three or four rounds. You'll get the question list for the event to use during each conversation. We host about three online events a month, usually on Saturday nights and sometimes Sunday nights, New York time.
Yes. Online events are open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Event times are listed in Eastern Time (New York time). Attendees have joined from other US cities and from abroad.
Most online events are free. We also host occasional smaller paid online sessions, which come with a guaranteed spot and skip the waitlist.
Cameras are encouraged but optional. We've found that seeing each other creates a better connection, so we ask people to turn their camera on if they can. But we understand that some people keep it off for convenience, or feel safer talking to a stranger without it, and that's completely fine.
Free online events often fill up quickly, and many have a waitlist. Spots open up as people cancel, so stay on the waitlist if you're interested. If you can no longer attend, please cancel your RSVP so someone else can join. Paid online sessions guarantee your spot.
A computer or phone with Zoom, a reasonably quiet place to talk and ideally headphones. No special software or account beyond Zoom is needed.
Yes. You can leave between rounds at any time, and if a conversation isn't working, you can leave a breakout room and return to the main room.
Joining and staying in touch
All events are listed on our Meetup group, The Connection Experiment NYC, at meetup.com/nyc-connection-experiment. Join the group to see upcoming online and in-person events and RSVP.
Join the Meetup group, and sign up for occasional notes from Eva at fifteenminutes.app/connection-experiment. You'll get new events as they're posted, plus a question to sit with.
Fifteen Minutes (fifteenminutes.app) is a human connection app for talking to strangers: one voice conversation, fifteen minutes, then it closes. No names, no feeds, no way to be looked up. It was built by Eva, co-founder of The Connection Experiment, alongside the events: the events happen on a schedule, and the app is there whenever you want to talk to someone in between. When you feel like talking to someone new, you open it, and anyone else on the app gets a ping. You're then matched for a 15-minute one-on-one voice conversation with prompts, the same idea as the events. The events remain the main focus of The Connection Experiment.