Because life is a verb
Our mission is simple: To empower people to enrich their lives through real-world experiences and in-person connections.
Our Vision
#InRealLife was founded on the idea that the world is made better when we spend time together, in real life. We believe that happy, fulfilling lives start in the real world, so we strive to create technology-based solutions that make it easier for people to get offline and live a fuller life. At #InRealLife, we’re creating a future where society thrives because everyone has the resources to pursue their passions and interests.
Our Guiding Principles
Step out of your comfort zone
Embrace the hills in life
Leave a positive mark
Invest in those around you
Nurture your habits
Strive for steady progress
Our Founding Story
In the summer of 2023, Mercan Topkara looked around and noticed something was missing. Growing up, Mercan was always outside exploring the world around her. But as she got older and life got busier, she found herself indoors more often than not. Then, the pandemic hit. And while technology made it easy to stay connected, she also noticed that it made it easier for everyone to stop doing things in real life. Her kids texted their friends instead of playing outdoors. Her colleagues video chatted instead of getting together for lunch. Her friends would stay home instead of going to a coffee shop to read. It was then that she realized just how irreplaceable the experiences we have out in the world are.
So, she started #InRealLife — not just for herself, but for her family, her friends, and anyone longing to get out there and make things happen. Powered by experienced experts and a little bit of AI magic, Mercan hopes #InRealLife will empower people to step outside, get out of their comfort zones, and do more things together. Because, at the end of the day, the best moments in life are the memories we make #IRL.
Meet Our Founder
Mercan Topkara has nearly two decades of experience building large-scale natural language processing (NLP) solutions for content platforms and marketplaces. Before founding #InRealLife, she served as the Chief AI Officer and CTO for Sounder.ai, leading the company’s research and development hub. Mercan initially joined the Sounder team in 2021 as part of the acquisition of Podnods, an AI-based podcast recommendation platform, which she co-founded. Prior to that, she led teams at Luminary Media, TPT, JW Player, and IBM TJ Watson Research.
Mercan holds a PhD in Computer Science from Purdue University. As an active leader in the industry, she has co-authored papers for international journals, and co-invented several patents focused on AI/ML applications.
Meet the Team
Mercan partners closely with WISE Engineering to develop the technology behind #InRealLife. Since 2006, the team at WISE has developed, launched, and scaled dozens of new products across the U.S. and Europe. Enjoying life together is at the heart of WISE’s company philosophy, and they encourage building connections together through real-life experiences, like camping in mountains, skiing, and meeting up for family fun days.
Olga Moroziuk is the mastermind behind #InRealLife’s UX and brand design. Since joining the WISE team, she has led the UX/UI development across multiple products. She spends her time offline traveling and exploring the world.