Maddy O'Connor Launches NewTree Social in Tampa Bay as 79% of Young Adults Plan More Events
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Maddy O'Connor Launches NewTree Social in Tampa Bay as 79% of Young Adults Plan More Events
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Summary
NewTree Social has launched as an iPhone app in Tampa Bay, where founder Maddy O'Connor is testing a feed-based platform for discovering, RSVPing to and attending local community, fitness and wellness events.
79% of 18- to 35-year-olds surveyed by Eventbrite said they planned to attend more events in 2026, while 46% of Gen Z respondents said they were limiting screen time and 74% prioritized in-person experiences.
O'Connor says NewTree is still pre-traction and pre-revenue, with host reviews intended to shape event visibility and expansion planned only after proving demand in one market.
Safety and privacy remain key constraints: NewTree manually approves hosts in its MVP stage, but its terms say it generally does not run criminal background checks or identity verification on users or organizers.
The app also has practical limits for now—Android support is not yet available, and Apple lists it 13+ even though NewTree says users must be at least 18.