Platonic relationships are profitable.
Rendezvous. Social app Pie added $11.5M in a Series A led by Forerunner Ventures, with participation from Twitter co-founder Ev Williams and others.
Created by Bonobos founder Andy Dunn, Pie has raised $24M to date for its goal to “end social isolation,” starting with Chicago. It counts 20K+ active users whom it connects via IRL events.
Social wellness. Over the past 20 years, average time spent with friends has fallen by 20 hours per month — and 49% of Americans have three or fewer close pals.
Declared an epidemic by the surgeon general, loneliness has become a focus for startups.
- Helping friends find cool things to do, The Nudge has raised $13.5M.
- Encouraging depth, RealRoots curates six-week programs for like-minded women.
- “Turning cities into villages,” Tribe unites strangers through a play-based approach.
- A one-on-one option, The Breakfast connects creatives for casual meals.
Elsewhere, OneRoof has raised $4.5M to connect apartment dwellers, dating app Bumble spun off a standalone BFFs platform, and LiveNearFriends is pioneering social real estate.
Takeaway: Over-indexing on individualism and work, America is out of balance. Reframing socialization as a public health issue, startups hope to help people prioritize adult friendships.
