Nigh

For Josh Ritzer, loving the local is more than just a saying - it’s his way of life. Growing up in a small town in Minnesota, he spent his younger days shopping, dining and working in his city’s Main Street. And while he went on to study business and computer science at Minnesota State University, his heart remained with his local business community. So when the opportunity presented itself many years later, Josh took the leap and used his Silicon Valley tech expertise to create an app - Nigh - that is focused on bringing back local commerce and fostering strong communities.

“I really believe healthy democracy is rooted in local communities. To be a better society, we need to support our local businesses with solutions that allow success to flow down rather than up,” said Josh. “Our mission at Nigh is simple - bring back local. Through the creation of intentional technology, we have developed a new way to experience local businesses that actually helps make businesses more profitable.”

The word ‘nigh’ translates to near in time, distance and/or relationship. And for Josh, the name perfectly captures how the app is designed to uplift local businesses and foster social connections among its users. “Our technology is centered around the idea of ‘drops.’ Businesses on our app can release limited-time, exclusive experiences to the first people to grab tickets. And users that attend these drops create new friendships and memories, all while supporting local businesses and embracing life’s surprises.”

When Josh was in the early stages of his app development, he was considering where to launch his software. In 2015, he moved to Boulder from California and realized he found the perfect spot for Nigh. “I think Boulder has the best community around supporting local in the country. Folks here rally around small businesses, and for us, downtown and The Hill felt like such special places to start this movement. Our office is based in the co-working space Galvanize, which has been such a great spot to build connections for a start-up. Being downtown is important for us - we want to immerse ourselves in the heart of Boulder’s community.”

To support the success of Nigh, join the local movement and download their app. “Start getting tickets to support drops from local businesses and connect with other Boulderites at these exclusive drop events. And if you are a business looking to get involved with us, join our pilot and begin hosting drops in less than two minutes!”

Everything at Nigh comes back to creating authentic local experiences for community members while uplifting local businesses. “The time to revolutionize local commerce is now,” said Josh. “I’m incredibly passionate about the work Nigh is doing, and our participating businesses have already seen such positive results from engaging with the platform. It’s exciting to think about where this technology will go in the future.”