Grow Together!
2016
Posting = communication
people posted out of authentic interest and desire to share
People watched the same things at the same time
Mannequin challenge, Pokemon Go, Snapchat Dog filters. There was comfort in a cultural simultaneity that fostered sense of connection.
Authenticity & casual imperfection
No strategy required to "just post". Heavy filters, "cringe" trends allowed people to be freely expressive,
2026
Performative epidemic
Posting to be "viewed" instead of "known". Loss of casual connection. Branding "authenticity" as fashionable
Posting for the algorithm
In attempt to maximize engagement, prioritizing virality, every viral posts seems to be following a certain "code"
Hyper-personalization; overstimulated but lonely
Algorithms have fractured individuals' realities into siloed corridors; People feel lonely and isolated while being overwhelmed by mass consumption.
What issues does research studies reflect?
Why are we so nostalgic about 2016 in 2026?
Introducing: Grove
Not simply a nostalgic escape
Grove doesn't take you back to 2016.
It takes what made 2016 lovable -- the messy but authentic connection,
the creative courage, the community -- and plants it in 2026.
In ten years, people will look back at 2026 and say
"let's make 2036 the new 2026" with Grove.
That's the mission
Grove is the antithesis of a curated feed. Content is meant to be messy, temporary, raw and real.
Designed to break the "fear of cringe" and "non-chalant" pressure of 2026 information firehouse.
01 — record the memory
Hit record — create a shared digital attic
only with people you know
Hit record on everytime you experience something you want to remember or share with your community. No pressure, no branding of authenticity, simply record when you feel something in the moment. In any format you'd like.
No curation. No highlights reel. No best-of. The bad photos stay. The awkward voice memos stay. Because memory isn't a highlight reel — and neither is Grove.
Audio · Visual · Video
02 — The Palm Tree
03 — The Rabbit hole
04 — Memory Lane — Rewind
A living community you grow together
A serendipity Engine
Every record is a time capsule
& glimpse into your community
visit it anytime you'd like
Everytime a member of your circle records a moment and syncs it using NFC technology, your shared Palm Tree grows a new frond. The tree, a product of nourishment from your connections, serves as a visual metaphor for your collective life -- it grows taller, denser, and more beautiful as your community experience life separately but together in spirit.
Instead of a regular search bar, users, or "palmers" in our case, are presented with a dark hole. Drop a thought or keyword into it. In return the system wills surface something completely random from a stranger (from their consented vault of images). It could be a recording of rain, a photo of a beautifully plated breakfast, or a niche poem they whipped up at night.
This is like an antidote to hyper-personalization users struggle with in 2026. instead of feeding and overwhelming users endless programmed contents, it introduces you to what you never knew existed. The 2016 equivalent of stumbling onto a Tublr log at 2am and losing three hours.
By collecting records over time, your Palm Tree builds a living archive. The Rewind feature lets you re-experience any memory - audio, visual, video, photos, memes, thought diary entries, voice messages — exactly as it was captured.
No curation. No highlights reel. No best-of. The bad photos stay.
The awkward voice memos stay. Because memory isn't a highlight reel - and neither is Grove.
mira's circle 🌴
M
J
T
K
47
3
records
11
weeks
members
✦ new growth — theo added 3 records
mira · voice note
synced 2h ago
🎙
jade · blurry photo
synced 5h ago
📷
kim · thought
synced yesterday
💭
The Rabbit Hole
the smell of rain on hot pavement...
↓ something comes back
from a stranger · London, Ontario · 3 weeks ago
"just went down a memory lane with Grove through my "Europe Trip" palm tree. I love being a palmer.
📼 voice memo · 0:12
drop again ↓
Our recording
Product
NFC for instant connection.
Tap two Disk together to instantly join each other's Palm Tree - a physical gesture connection replacing a digital follow request with a more real connection
The Palm Tree