08/18/2026
I almost gave up on this project.
A few months ago, I was looking at the housing and roommate market here in the area (Gatineau, Ottawa, Montreal), and I kept seeing the exact same scenario play out:
Amazing young professionals, students, and newcomers desperately looking for a safe, comfortable place to live... only to find themselves thrown into a complete obstacle course. 😞
Why ?
Because today, looking for a roommate or a room feels like playing Russian roulette.
And the worst part is what we expect people to accept:
"Spend your evenings scrolling through 500 sketchy listings on Kijiji or Marketplace" or "Trust a complete stranger blindly and send a deposit with zero guarantees."
Let’s be honest for two seconds :
nobody wants to move in with someone whose lifestyle completely clashes with theirs, or deal with stressful, shady processes.
At first, I felt naive. I kept telling myself:
"There HAS to be a simple, human way to connect compatible people safely..."
I surveyed the market, tested existing groups, and watched the same scams and bad experiences happen over and over again.
I spent endless nights trying to figure out how to restore trust and clarity for anyone trying to find a home or a roommate.
💡 Then it hit me.
I realized that by combining lifestyle compatibility matching with a transparent, verified ecosystem, we could turn the nightmare of room-hunting into a smooth, human, and secure experience.
When I showed the early version of Coliv to people currently looking for a place, their reaction was immediate :
"Finally, something that actually understands what we're going through."
Today, we are officially launching Coliv.
Informal listing groups and outdated platforms that leave people vulnerable to scams aren't going to like this approach.
And that's fine.
Our goal isn't to make quick money off the housing crisis it's to build the most reliable and secure co-living ecosystem.
Here is our simple, transparent offer :
We are opening early access to our first users in the region who want to test the platform and find their next roommate or home with complete peace of mind.
👉 No complicated runarounds.
👉 No shady, unverified profiles.
👉 Just priority access to a trusted community to prove that living together can be done differently.
If you’re currently looking for a stress-free living situation or if you know someone around you who is struggling to find a safe place or a compatible roommate check out https://colivapp.ca/
(https://www.google.com/search?q=https://colivapp.ca/)
or send me a direct message.
Thank you for supporting local innovation, and have a great day everyone !
