Charlotte, September 19, 2025
News Summary
Linxy, a Charlotte-based location-aware event app, launched this year to help attendees skip small talk by matching people around shared interests using its Social Linx system and micro-experiences. After prototyping in 2022, the company has hosted over 50 events and is available in Charlotte, Nashville, Cincinnati and Miami while pursuing aggressive city expansion. Linxy has 20 employees, has raised crowdfunding via Wefunder, and is closing a $750,000 SAFE note. The report also highlights major Charlotte center-city investments and growing national proptech activity as cities and startups adapt underused spaces and speed construction.
Charlotte app Linxy aims to speed event connections as city renovates aging office stock
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Top line
A Charlotte-based startup that helps people skip small talk at events is pushing to grow across multiple U.S. cities while downtown Charlotte moves forward with large renovation and reuse investments. The app launched in March of this year and has already hosted more than 50 events. It is targeting event hosts, community leaders, and business owners and plans aggressive city expansion for 2025 as it seeks additional investors to close a $750,000 SAFE note.
Why this matters now
The app, led by its founder and CEO, is part of a broader wave of technology firms and urban redevelopment efforts that aim to reshape how people meet, work, and live. In Charlotte, nearly $1.7 billion is slated to be invested this year to convert and revitalize aging spaces and boost downtown districts into more mixed-use, destination areas. Meanwhile, a separate national snapshot of real-estate technology shows many startups innovating across residential, commercial, and construction markets, with some firms reporting significant fundraising and growth.
About the app and team
The app is a Charlotte-based location-based social connection and experience app built to help attendees cut through awkward small talk and get to substantive conversations at events. The founder and CEO grew up in Ohio, started work in North Carolina with Young Entrepreneurs Across America, previously built a consulting business and a construction company, and has authored a book on human performance.
Core features include a dashboard where users share information to make connecting at the same event easier and a social connection system called the Social Linx. The Social Linx lets users design interests, passions, hot topics, and types of professionals they would like to connect with, giving precision among fellow event attendees. The product also facilitates real-time connections through micro experiences and aims to give users more situational awareness about nearby event attendees.
The company put a prototype out in 2022 and officially launched in March of this year. Since launch, it has hosted over 50 events ranging from music festivals to tech networking events to tailgates. The service is currently available in Charlotte, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Miami. The company has an aggressive city growth strategy set for 2025.
The team totals 20 employees with half located in Charlotte and the remaining staff spread across Atlanta, Miami, Cincinnati, Nashville, and regions in the Middle East and South Asia. The company has brought on over 40 crowdfunding investors through a Wefunder campaign and is focused on finding aligned investors to finish raising a $750,000 SAFE note, having secured $150,000 of the $750,000 SAFE note over the last two months. Its 2025 goals include bringing in 250,000 new users and $1,000,000 in revenue.
Charlotte center-city shift: renovation and mixed-use focus
A center-city nonprofit group released its annual report recommending revitalizing and converting older buildings into office spaces with amenities or into residential and hospitality uses across uptown, midtown, and South End districts. The report identifies about $1.7 billion to be invested into reimagining aging spaces this year to transform the area from a business-centric district into a destination district.
Office vacancy rates remained high throughout last year, sitting between 22% and 24% and hitting a record high of 24.7% in July of the prior year. The Charlotte metro office vacancy rate ended the year at around 24.6% according to one report that includes suburban areas, while in Charlotte alone the office vacancy rate was 22.4% in a separate local report. High vacancy rates stem from low demand, a construction boom in 2018 and 2019, and aging buildings that no longer appeal to tenants.
The report also notes that construction on new office spaces has slowed and that renovating and reusing aging spaces is rapidly increasing. Examples of buildings spending millions to change uses include a major regional bank skyscraper and other downtown towers. Part of the $1.7 billion investment is allocated to upgrading major sports and entertainment venues. Conversions in the pipeline include a 100-year-old building on Tryon Street to be converted into a roughly 245-room hotel with retail, a new mixed-use arts studio in the Iron District, and a former university building slated for residential and retail conversion.
The center-city group also reported about $3.7 billion is being invested in new developments that are either under construction or set to break ground in 2026. Those projects are expected to bring about 7,110 apartments, 2.2 million square feet of office space, 338,800 square feet of retail, and 1,630 hotel rooms to downtown districts in upcoming years. The current development total is about half the total of 2023, and the report reasons that many projects were completed last year and new starts have slowed due to high costs.
Proptech snapshot: startups across the real-estate stack
A recent roundup of proptech firms shows continued innovation after pandemic-era shifts in how people live and work. Venture-capital investment in private real-estate-technology companies peaked previously at $32 billion in 2021. Many startups on the list focus on residential, construction, and property operations. Notable examples include:
- Daybase — flexible coworking spaces positioned as a third space between office and home, with plans to expand nationwide.
- Divvy — a rent-to-own home model that sets aside rent toward a future down payment and reported a valuation in the billions after fundraising.
- Dusty Robotics — builds robots that print construction layouts on job sites to reduce human error in site preparation.
- Kojo — a platform that helps commercial contractors order and track materials and automate data entry, reducing paperwork for field workers.
- OpenSpace — uses 360-degree cameras and AI to create visual systems of record for construction sites and tracks progress over time.
- Material Bank — provides designers free samples through a single platform and scaled logistics to serve hundreds of brands and thousands of members.
- Homeward, Hometap, and several fintech and marketplace startups — each offering alternatives for home buying, financing, and resale models.
The roundup was compiled after querying venture investors who focus on real-estate and construction technology. The list used self-reported fundraising numbers along with public database supplements when firms declined to comment. Many startups chose not to disclose valuations or revenues as they sought additional funding.
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What to watch next
Watch for the app’s planned city rollouts in 2025, its investor campaign to complete the SAFE note, and whether its event-focused features help host organizations demonstrate measurable increases in attendee connections and sales. Locally, expect continued momentum in adaptive reuse projects, early construction starts for mixed-use hubs, and project completions that aim to bring more reasons for people to visit downtown beyond work.
FAQ
What is Linxy?
Linxy is a Charlotte-based location-based social connection and experience app.
Who founded Linxy?
Joel Puthoff is the founder and CEO of Linxy.
When did Linxy officially launch?
Linxy officially launched in March of this year.
How many events has Linxy hosted since launch?
Since launch, Linxy has hosted over 50 events.
Which cities is Linxy available in?
Linxy is available in Charlotte, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Miami.
What is the Social Linx?
The Social Linx feature allows users to design interests, passions, hot topics, and professionals they’d like to connect with, with precision, among fellow event attendees.
What are Linxy’s 2025 goals?
Linxy’s 2025 goals include bringing in 250,000 new users and $1,000,000 in revenue.
How many employees does Linxy have?
Linxy currently has 20 employees.
How much investment is planned to reimagine aging spaces in Charlotte this year?
Approximately $1.7 billion will be invested into reimagining aging spaces this year.
What were Charlotte office vacancy rates last year?
Office vacancies throughout last year sat between 22% and 24%.
What record did office vacancies hit in July of the prior year?
Office vacancies hit a record high of 24.7% in July.
How much investment is being reported for new developments set to break ground in 2026 or under construction?
The center city group reported about $3.7 billion is being invested in new developments that are either under construction or set to break ground in 2026.
How many projects were noted to come to downtown districts in upcoming years?
Those projects are expected to bring about 7,110 apartments, 2.2 million square feet of office space, 338,800 square feet of retail, and 1,630 hotel rooms to the downtown districts in upcoming years.
Key features table
| Topic | Key features / figures |
|---|---|
| Linxy product | Location-based social connection and experience app; Social Linx for precise matching; micro experiences; dashboard sharing for event attendees |
| Linxy launch & scale | Prototype in 2022; officially launched in March of this year; hosted over 50 events; available in Charlotte, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Miami; 20 employees |
| Linxy fundraising | Wefunder crowdfunding with 40+ investors; seeking aligned investors to finish raising a $750,000 SAFE note; $150,000 secured in the last two months |
| Charlotte investment focus | About $1.7 billion to reimagine aging spaces this year; $3.7 billion in new developments under construction or set to break ground in 2026; expected 7,110 apartments, 2.2M sq ft office, 338,800 sq ft retail, 1,630 hotel rooms |
| Office vacancy rates | Office vacancies ranged between 22% and 24% last year; record high of 24.7% in July; Charlotte rate 22.4% in a local report |
| Proptech examples | Startups across coworking, buy-rent models, construction robotics, materials logistics, 360-degree site capture, and digital property services including Daybase, Divvy, Dusty Robotics, Kojo, OpenSpace, Material Bank and others |
| Site notices | User Agreement updated August 13, 2024; Privacy Policy updated July 1, 2025; reproduction and distribution restricted; page prompt to enable JS and disable ad blocker; subscription offer prompt present |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Hypepotamus: Linxy eventtech in Charlotte
- Wikipedia: Linxy
- Charlotte Ledger: The Pearl & med innovation district
- Encyclopedia Britannica: medical innovation district
- WSOC-TV: Charlotte drone startup aims to disrupt cleaning
- Google Scholar: drone building cleaning startup
- Charlotte Observer: downtown redevelopment & office market
- Google Search: Charlotte center city redevelopment 2025
- Business Insider: hottest proptech startups
- Google News: proptech startups 2022
Author: Construction CA News
CALIFORNIA STAFF WRITER The CALIFORNIA STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at constructioncanews.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in California and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as the Rose Parade, Coachella, Comic-Con, and the California State Fair. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the California Building Industry Association and Associated General Contractors of California, plus leading businesses in technology and entertainment that power the local economy such as Apple and Alphabet. As part of the broader network, including constructionnynews.com, constructiontxnews.com, and constructionflnews.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into the dynamic landscape across multiple states.
