We are delighted your road has led you to ROME…
ROME is a discerning community with an exceptional taste for people. We host invitation only gatherings designed to create in-person connections with purpose. We like to have a good time with good people. We consider ourselves people alchemists and we have witnessed the magic that happens offline. ROME is based in NYC and active in LA, and MEXICO CITY. We are launching soon in LONDON, PARIS and other pop-up locations.STORY
ROME was founded in NYC in 2020 as a clandestine effort to create intentional gatherings. In a world driven by digital interactions we arrived to restore your faith in IRL connection. We are magnets for vibrant humans in vibrant places, who happen to be single. We are committed to creating as many opportunities as we possibly can for great humans to meet.
Philosophy
We believe in the power of intentional connection. Our membership program is designed for discerning individuals who value considered social experiences, depth in relationships, and access to a community of like-minded individuals.
MISSION
Our mission is simple: to shift relationships from the digital realm to genuine, in-person experiences. We understand that attraction is a powerful force so whether you find a romantic spark, forge a new friendship, or strike up a business convo, we are here to support you with our matchmaking expertise. At the end of the day our goal is bringing extraordinary humans together, who might not have had the chance to meet otherwise, and have the combined potential to leave the world better than they found it.
Founder story
Anna Shimonis: Accidental Cupid
They call her a super connector. She'd say she's just genuinely curious about people, and has been for a very long time. For two decades, Anna has been building community before it was a strategy - from a five year position on Rihanna's styling team, working with global advertising and PR agencies, to dedicated work in the climate impact sector and with founders in AI, psychedelic sciences and mental healthcare space. Different worlds, one constant: she always knew who belonged in the room together.
The matchmaking part of her work was never the plan. It started simply: the right introduction at the right moment, again and again. Eight of those introductions became marriages. Eventually, people stopped asking Anna for professional networking and started asking about something harder to find —their person.
In 2019, a role at Raya clarified something she already suspected: dating apps had turned romance into a shopping experience. The magic of real-life connection was gone. Where was the delightful messiness of meeting someone in the wild?
In 2020 that realization became ROME — a series of invitation-only gatherings in private homes, around a dinner table, with the phones off. No small talk, no distraction. Just exceptional people, good food, the intimacy of being invited to someone’s home and quality conversations in every corner of the room.
ROME's first wedding happened in 2023 —a couple who met at the very first gathering. That's a 100% success rate, if you're into creative math. But most people leave with something they didn't expect: the feeling that the city still has it. That the right room, with the right people, changes something. Anna's been setting that room up her whole career.
ROME just finally gave it a name.