Nirav Tolia

Co-Founder and CEO of @Nextdoor. Alum of @Stanford. Guest Shark for @abcsharktank. Resident of Texas, Silicon Valley, Italy - and love them all!

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

I got to sit down with Professor Brian Lowery at @StanfordGSB to talk about one of the hardest problems in tech: how do you build a platform that lets people disagree without tearing each other apart?

We covered real-name verification, AI-assisted moderation, what gets lost when people stop talking across differences — and why engagement metrics can quietly destroy the thing you built.

Full conversation here: https://t.co/si7ZbNIPkk

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

In a fire, storm, or emergency, broad updates can create more confusion than clarity. People need information tied to where they actually live, what’s happening nearby, and whether it affects them.

That’s where @nextdoor can really help: by delivering trusted alerts, relevant updates, and useful information from the people closest to the situation.

From my @TBPN interview:

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

The conventional take on AI is that it makes everything cheaper, faster, more abundant. Mostly right — but it also makes a few things dramatically more scarce.

Verified human connection is one of them.

Fifteen years. 350,000 neighborhoods. 110 million neighbors who actually know each other’s streets, schools, and contractors. AI can’t generate that. And when you pair it with AI, it doesn’t get replaced — it compounds.

The default future is a world where everything is answered, and no one is known. We’re building the alternative.

From my interview with @themotleyfool:

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

What excites me most about AI isn’t efficiency. It’s leverage.

Efficiency is doing the same thing faster. Leverage is doing something that wasn’t possible before — one person producing what used to take ten.

That’s the real shift. AI doesn’t just shorten the path. It changes what one human can build, ship, and decide on their own.

The human is still in the driver’s seat. They’re just driving a vehicle that didn’t exist a year ago. And we're still in the early innings.

From my conversation with @The_RoomPodcast:

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Home prices are up 60% since 2019. The median first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old.

@Nextdoor's 2026 Most Affordable Neighborhoods rankings are live — built on real cost-of-living data to help people find where they can actually afford to put down roots. I live in Dallas, so naturally I checked ours first.

Find your city: https://t.co/M6xVPanLru

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

@joshelman @Nextdoor You have been a true believer from day one and we are grateful for all that you did to help us during those early years!

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

The things that made @Nextdoor worth building in 2010 (verification, privacy, real utility, genuine human connection) matter just as much in 2026. Maybe more.

At our annual sales summit in Dallas this week, I told our team what I genuinely believe: there are very few companies, and very few problems, more worth working on than this one.

The local opportunity is as big as it's ever been. We're just getting started.

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Had an incredible conversation yesterday with Parth Raval, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at @PepsiCo, at our sales conference in Dallas.

We talked AI, local personalization, and what it really takes to win as a brand right now.

One idea that stood out is that the companies that win are clear on what they stand for and stay disciplined in solving real problems.

"If at your core it is the community, tell that story and connect it to problems to solve, jobs to be done. Have the gumption to say 'we're not gonna veer the course.'"

I'm glad he mentioned community. Because that's exactly what we're building.

Verified neighbors. Real signals. Measurable outcomes. @Nextdoor is a platform built for exactly this moment.

Scale gets attention. Local wins trust.

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

That's a really good idea to generate several AI-questions and then either let another AI choose the right one, or better yet, ask the author. We could also show different questions to small sets of users and see which ones perform best.

Thanks for the the push. Would love any other suggestions or ideas you have!

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Q1 was a standout quarter for @Nextdoor and the results are in.

The numbers: Platform WAU of 22.3M, an all-time high. $62M revenue, up 14% YoY. Nearly breakeven EBITDA, a $9M YoY improvement.

What drove it: Strong sales execution, self-serve up 28% YoY (now 68% of revenue), contributions across every major monetization channel, and product improvements that helped drive Platform WAU to an all-time high.

Why this matters in an AI-dominated world: We're getting sharper on how to be the best version of Nextdoor as AI continues to proliferate. That means two things: embracing AI across our own workflows, and building a product that combines the best of AI with genuine human connection.

More: https://t.co/Ki4N3sEnW5 $NXDR
https://t.co/uqq9x86mBh

[Marketopolis @marketopolis_]

.@Nextdoor Co-Founder & CEO @niravtolia on AI: As more gets automated and it becomes harder to know what's real, value shifts toward authentic human interaction and platforms built on real, verified people.

Full Episode: https://t.co/QoD8faDssl

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Sharing some moments from my fireside chat with @kevinolearytv at @SMU's Spears Institute a few weeks back. We talked about entrepreneurship, execution, and the moments that separate builders from everyone else.

It was a great night with a room full of students who are just getting started. I’m grateful to SMU for having us.

Watch the highlights below.

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

This week, I had the chance to sit down with my long-time investor and friend, @bgurley, for a fireside chat at SMU Cox - William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership. If you weren't there, you missed something special.

Bill recently published his book Runnin' Down a Dream — already a New York Times Bestseller — and our conversation brought so many of its themes to life. We talked about finding work that genuinely fascinates you, the importance of going where the action is, and so much more. The one idea I keep coming back to: the most successful careers aren't engineered, they grow out of curiosity. As Bill puts it, learning comes for free when you're fascinated.

I've known Bill for my entire professional career. He's the person I've leaned on most as I've built three companies, and he remains Nextdoor's longest-serving board member. Getting to share that relationship — and that conversation — with such an engaged audience made this one of my favorite nights in a long time.

Thank you to everyone who came out. And if you haven't picked up the book yet, do it: https://t.co/smzoosI5V4

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Today @Nextdoor is opening its first Texas office in Dallas, a city I am proud to call home. Our CFO and I are both based here, we have 15 people already on the ground, and we are growing fast. The talent in Dallas is exceptional and the sense of local community here is unlike anywhere else. That is exactly what Nextdoor was built for.

Read more: https://t.co/ES8rJD4JrU

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

I couldn’t be more excited about hosting my long-time investor, @bgurley, next Monday in a special fireside chat at SMU to discuss his new book, Runnin’ Down a Dream.

Already a New York Times Bestseller, this is a must-read guide to thriving in a career you actually love. While we will be talking with students, I have found there are meaningful lessons to be taken away for everyone.

This is a special treat because I’ve known and worked with Bill for my entire professional career. He is the person I’ve leaned on the most as I’ve built three companies, up to today as Nextdoor’s longest serving board member.

Don’t miss it! https://t.co/0lVQnt0nD0

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Self-serve advertising is now live for Canadian inventory on @Nextdoor. Any business in Canada can now build, manage, and run hyperlocal at scale campaigns targeting Canadian neighborhoods directly.
Verified neighbors, real purchasing power: https://t.co/5RkLZLkSFC

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

Really excited about this new initiative I’m a big believer in the value of local
news and deeply appreciate the work of local journalists. https://t.co/bCJ1G5rzGF

[Nirav Tolia @niravtolia]

On #LocalNewsDay, @Nextdoor is opening early access for Local Journalist Accounts.

DMA-wide distribution, a verified badge, metro-wide search into community conversations. From day one. No follower base needed.

It’s a pilot expansion with more to come. But we wanted to open early on a day when the country is thinking about local news deeply.

Local journalists can sign up here: https://t.co/TNXd4MKXhs

Read more: https://t.co/W3WLFIYNJj