What was the inspiration behind Nextdoor and how close to your original vision is the site today? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Nirav Tolia, Co-Founder and CEO of Nextdoor, on Quora.
Nextdoor had seven co-founders and we all brought our own inspiration to the founding of company. Generally speaking, we aspired to create a world-class company with a critical mission that could benefit as many people as possible. More specifically, we marveled at the enormous user bases and engagement of social platforms like Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and asked if there were an orthogonal area of people's lives that should be represented with another, distinct social graph.
The light bulb went off when we realized that where we live is as large a part of our identity as who are friends are, where we work, or who we wish to follow. It became obvious then that there was a huge opportunity to create a local social network, and that has been the inspiration behind Nextdoor from the very beginning. I'm happy to say that this inspiration has not changed, and in fact, we've only gained conviction in the size and magnitude of the opportunity ahead.
On a personal level, I was inspired to create an online tool that might provide my kids with the same kind of connection and belonging that I felt when growing up in my hometown of Odessa, Texas. My neighborhood was an extremely tight-knit community, where it was safe for kids to play in the street, where block parties and lemonade stands were the norm, and where - in the most powerful way - neighbors cared and looked out for each other. When I considered my current-day neighborhood in San Francisco, I wasn't sure that my three sons would have that same experience. Yet my co-founders and I had hope that we could use technology to bring that sense of community, not just to my neighborhood, but to all the neighborhoods around the world.