My story

I built Reach Out for myself first.

A Texan in Bucharest, a marriage that ended, and a lot of friendships that faded without anyone deciding they should.

Hi, I'm Eric.

I'm from Texas. I moved to Romania with my wife, who is Romanian, and our two kids. Then my marriage ended.

After I moved out, I realized how alone I was. No family here. No real close friends. And the friendships back home hadn't ended. They had faded. Over six years we just didn't see each other or talk much. Nobody decided it. Nobody made the first move.

For a while I filled the evenings binging Netflix and scrolling dating apps. Then one night I thought: no, there's got to be a better use of my time.

Eric Melchor on a street in Bucharest

So I started throwing parties

I've always enjoyed connecting people. Introducing two people who should know each other. Making someone feel seen and heard. So I thought, why not host some cocktail parties?

That's how 3rd Space Bucharest started: an in-person community for people who want more than home and work. Somewhere to meet new people and actually get to know them.

Eric taking a selfie with smiling guests at a 3rd Space Bucharest cocktail evening
A 3rd Space Bucharest cocktail evening.

What we do at 3rd Space

Padel and Prosecco

A few games of padel with mixed-up teams, then prosecco and conversation by the court.

Founders and Builders

An evening for people building companies, side projects and careers they care about, to swap stories and help each other out.

Portraits and Prosecco

A relaxed evening of portraits and prosecco. Guests leave with a new photo and a few new people to know.

3rd Space AI Circle

A five-week cohort, online and in person, where members learn to put AI to work in their day-to-day: workflows, automations and agents.

A group of friends smiling together at a night-time Padel and Prosecco event
Padel and Prosecco night.

The friendships I kept meaning to grow

I met a lot of interesting people at these events, and I'd make a mental note: I want to hang out with this person some more. Then life happened. I'm raising two young kids and I have a full-time job, and I never really got around to nurturing those new friendships.

It was the same pattern as back home. Nobody was choosing to drift. There just wasn't a nudge, and nobody made the first move.

So I built Reach Out.

To bring back the friendships I let slip back home in Texas, and to keep the new ones I'm making in Bucharest from fading the same way. If you've moved away from the people you love, I built it for you too.

Eric MelchorFounder, Reach Out and 3rd Space Bucharest

Want to try Reach Out?

Join the launch list and I'll email you the day the app is out on iPhone and Android.

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Curious where your own friendships stand? Take the Friendship Drift Score