Nextdoor wants Americans to be more neighborly

Americans have never been so social online, yet neighbors largely remain strangers.

While most U.S. residents are members of a social-media service, only 2% of their friends on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere live within a few blocks, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Nextdoor, a private social network for neighborhoods, intends to change that and reshape the social-media landscape in the process. This week, it raised $18.6 million in funding from Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Greylock Partners and other investors, lifting its market valuation of about $100 million.

"We want to bring a sense of community to neighborhoods," says Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia. "America has lost that, and technology can facilitate this."

Think of Nextdoor as amalgam of a community newsletter/neighborhood watch against crime/classified ads/block party. Mike Skehan, a Nextdoor member in Lummi Island, Wash., said Nextdoor was integral in finding a wayward dog named Willie in the dead of winter in November.

Since Nextdoor opened its digital doors in October, it has amassed 3,710 neighborhoods in 48 states, and is doubling in size every two months. More than 60% of its members are women.

The site requires users to verify their home address with a credit card number. Though the 30-person company has no revenue, it may eventually run ads for local services. Tolia considers his company in competition with Yahoo Groups and Craigslist -- not fellow start-ups Neighborland and Home Elephant, which he says are positioned differently in the market.