Less followers.
More friends.
Social media gave us likes, views, and followers. It didn't give us someone to grab coffee with on a Tuesday. friendlynk is a platform that uses technology the way it should work — to strengthen the friendships you have, broaden your network through people you trust, and get you off the screen and into the same room.
We have more connections than ever.
And fewer real friends.
In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health epidemic. Adults who reported having 10+ close friends dropped from 33% in 1990 to 13% in 2021. Existing social apps optimize for content, not connection. There's nothing designed to help you actually show up for the people you care about. 1, 3
friendlynk
No more swiping on strangers and hoping for the best. friendlynk strengthens the friendships you already have and helps you grow your network through trusted, real-world connection — not algorithms, not feeds, not followers. A bridge from the digital world back to the physical one.
Spontaneous Hangouts
See who's free right now, tonight, or this week. Lower the friction of making plans from hours to seconds.
Invite-Only Trust Model
Every member is verified and invited by someone in the community. No strangers, no bots, no bad actors.
Circles & Groups
Organize friends into circles — close friends, hiking crew, work lunch group. Each with its own vibe and plans.
Social Wellness
Track your social health — not screen time. Reliability scores, friendship trends, and connection goals.
Built for trust, not scale
Every feature in friendlynk is designed to foster accountability and genuine connection — tools that help communities hold each other to a higher standard.
Identity Verification
Photo verification during onboarding. Real people, confirmed identity before they join.
Invite Chain Accountability
Every member is traceable to the person who invited them. Community reputation is shared.
Reliability Scoring
A "Shows Up" score that rewards follow-through. People who commit and show up are visible.
From IDEO challenge to product
friendlynk started as a design challenge response and has evolved into a full product vision with a working prototype.
IDEO Creative Challenge
Originally called "Friend Lynk" — submitted as a concept addressing the adult loneliness epidemic through facilitated real-world connection.
Product Design & Research
Deep dives into trust models, anti-loneliness research, venue partnership economics, and the invite-only growth playbook.
Functional Prototype Built
20+ screen React prototype with full user flows — onboarding, home, circles, events, calendar, and social wellness dashboard. Figma design system in progress.
Seeking Co-founders & Advisors
Looking for mission-aligned technical and growth co-founders to bring friendlynk from prototype to beta launch.
Want the full picture?
Interactive prototype, market analysis, business model, competitive landscape, and go-to-market strategy.
Launch Full Pitch & Demo →Let's connect
Looking for mission-aligned co-founders, advisors, and early believers. If you care about solving loneliness through design, I'd love to hear from you.
$9T global wellness economy by 2028
The global wellness economy is projected to reach $9 trillion by 2028, growing at 7.3% annually. Mental wellness is among the fastest-growing segments, expected to roughly double by 2028. friendlynk sits at the intersection of social wellness, local experiences, and community tech. 4
Freemium + venue partnerships
Three revenue streams designed to grow with the community, not exploit it.
Core Friendship Tools
- ✓ Availability sharing & hangout planning
- ✓ Up to 3 circles
- ✓ Reliability score
- ✓ Event discovery
- ✓ Signal-based messaging
Advanced Social Wellness
- ✓ Friendship health map & trends
- ✓ Professional networking (cross-company)
- ✓ Unlimited circles
- ✓ Connection goals & analytics
- ✓ Year in Friendships wrapped
Company-Sponsored
- ✓ Cross-team social hub
- ✓ Lunch buddy matching
- ✓ Company-sponsored events
- ✓ Engagement analytics for HR
Local Business Revenue
- ✓ Sponsored events & social hours
- ✓ Promoted venue placements
- ✓ Member-exclusive deals
- ✓ Foot traffic analytics
Different category, different outcome
Bumble BFF, Meetup, and Les Amis all help people meet strangers. friendlynk is built for the friends you already have — turning "we should hang out" into actually showing up. It's a new category: friendship infrastructure. 6
| friendlynk | Bumble BFF | Meetup | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time availability | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Invite-only trust model | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Reliability scoring | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Existing friend focus | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Passive |
| Venue partnerships | ✓ | ✗ | Limited | ✗ |
| Social wellness tracking | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| B2B team plans | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
20+ screens. Full user flow.
A functional React prototype covering onboarding, home, circles, events, calendar, and the social wellness dashboard.
📱
Ready to explore?
Tap through the full friendlynk experience — 20+ interactive screens.
Launch Interactive Demo →Venue-seeded cold start
The cold start problem for social apps is brutal. Our approach: seed the network through venue partnerships, not paid acquisition.
Phase 1: Venue Partnerships
Partner with 10–15 bars, cafes, and studios in one neighborhood. They host "friendlynk social hours" — we bring verified, reliable foot traffic.
Phase 2: Invite Expansion
Each attendee gets 3 invite codes. Network grows organically through trusted connections, not ads.
Phase 3: B2B Team Plans
Approach companies with remote/hybrid teams. "friendlynk for Work" solves the belonging problem employers are desperate to fix.
Phase 4: City Expansion
Replicate the venue-seeded model city by city. SF → LA → NYC → Austin. Each launch is a curated community, not a mass rollout.
Let's talk
Looking for mission-aligned co-founders, advisors, and early believers. If you care about solving loneliness through design, I'd love to connect.
Sources
- 1. U.S. Surgeon General. Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation (2023). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. hhs.gov
- 2. DemandSage. Average Time Spent on Social Media Per Day (2025). 2 hours 16 minutes daily average for U.S. adults. demandsage.com
- 3. Survey Center on American Life. The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss (2021). Close friendships with 10+ friends declined from 33% (1990) to 13% (2021). americansurveycenter.org
- 4. Global Wellness Institute. Global Wellness Economy Monitor (2024). $6.3T in 2023, projected $9T by 2028 at 7.3% CAGR. globalwellnessinstitute.org
- 5. U.S. Census Bureau. National Population by Characteristics: 2020–2025 (Vintage 2024 estimates). 83% urban population rate. census.gov
- 6. TechCrunch. As people look for ways to make new friends, here are the apps promising to help (Mar 2026). Friendship apps generated $16M in U.S. consumer spending; all focused on meeting new people. techcrunch.com