Friendly Together helps New Yorkers build meaningful friendships offline with curated experiences and community-first design.
In a Digital World, This NYC-Based App Is Bringing Back Face-to-Face Friendships
In a time when most social interaction starts and ends behind a screen, one New York City-based platform is taking a different path, one paved with handshakes, shared laughter, and real human connection. Friendly Together is not just another social app. It’s a movement, one that brings together adults craving meaningful relationships through curated, real-world experiences.
While other apps try to keep people swiping and scrolling, Friendly Together is quietly leading a revolution. The goal? To make it normal for grown-ups to make new friends, without the awkward icebreakers, pressure, or pretenses.
From Isolation to Intention: One Founder’s Mission to Reimagine Belonging
Ana Gonzalez Galindo never set out to build a tech company. Her mission began with something deeply personal: loneliness. After moving to the U.S. while pregnant, Ana found herself alone in a new country, without a village to lean on.
She realized quickly that while motherhood came with overwhelming joy, it also brought a profound lack of connection. Where were the people to call in the hard moments? Where was the community?
Driven by this lived experience and fueled by her research at Stanford Graduate School of Business , Ana began to piece together a vision. What if there was a platform, not just an app, that made friendship a lifestyle? What if instead of encouraging endless messages and ghosted chats, the focus was on getting people together in person, to simply be human again?
That vision became Friendly Together.
The Anti-App That Builds Real Friendships, One Gathering at a Time
What makes Friendly Together different is its rejection of digital-first connection. Unlike traditional social apps that use endless messaging as a stand-in for real bonding, Friendly Together skips the small talk and gets right to the good stuff: curated in-person events designed with intention, care, and inclusivity.
From leather workshops to comedy nights and family-friendly meetups, every event is about shared experience, not forced socializing.
Friendly Together’s events are open to everyone, singles, couples, parents, and even entire families, which makes it one of the few platforms truly inclusive in its approach to building community. New Yorkers from all walks of life can find their people, whether they’re new in town, returning home, or just ready to break out of their bubble.
The Science of Feeling Connected
Ana’s background and her MBA training at Stanford set the foundation for Friendly Together’s philosophy. Every experience on the platform is rooted in real data about human connection, belonging, and emotional wellness.
This isn’t accidental. Events are designed to create safe, low-pressure environments where people can relax, be themselves, and connect naturally, without the awkwardness of typical networking or dating events.
“We’re not creating parties,” Ana says. “We’re creating space. Space to be seen, heard, and welcomed exactly as you are.”
The result? A platform where the priority isn’t speed or scale, but depth. Where “making friends” feels more like “coming home.”
From Buzzing Screens to Buzzing Tables: A New Way to Meet People
From Buzzing Screens to Buzzing Tables: A New Way to Meet PeopleOne of the platform’s core strengths is its partnership model. By teaming up with local chefs, artists, teachers, wellness instructors, and community spaces, Friendly Together is able to host authentic, culturally rich events that reflect the heartbeat of New York City.
A dumpling-making night in Brooklyn with a local Uzbek chef. A mindfulness class in Harlem. A history lesson in the Upper East. These aren’t one-size-fits-all events, they’re hyper-local, hyper-personal, and highly memorable.
It’s not about throwing events for the sake of it. It’s about giving people a reason to show up, again and again.
Recognized for Innovation: Best Social App in NYC (2025)
Friendly Together’s commitment to building authentic, offline relationships hasn’t gone unnoticed. The platform was recently honored with the “Best Social App for Making Friends in NYC” award by EvergreenAwards.com, a respected industry authority.
The award recognizes more than just smart design, it celebrates Friendly Together’s bold stance against the isolating effects of tech and its mission to restore a sense of human closeness in the digital age.
More Than an App, It’s a Lifestyle of Showing Up
For Friendly Together, success isn’t measured in downloads or impressions. It’s measured in moments of real connection.
What stands out most are the stories shared by members who show up, often unsure at first, and leave feeling part of something bigger.
Parents attend Friendly events with their families, drawn to experiences that let them do things they genuinely enjoy alongside other adults, while their children engage in age appropriate activities nearby. These gatherings create space for parents to connect naturally without sacrificing family time.
A single mother joined Friendly after realizing her social circle had changed. Most of her friends were married or partnered, and she often felt like the only single person in the room. Through Friendly, she met other single women navigating similar life stages, forming friendships that feel supportive, easy, and authentic.
A couple who recently moved to a new city turned to Friendly to build community from scratch. By attending small group experiences together, they found not just activities to fill their calendar, but people to build a new circle of friends around them.
These stories reflect what Friendly Together stands for. Not just helping people meet, but helping them belong by creating environments where showing up feels natural, welcoming, and human.
Where It’s Headed Next: Community Without Borders
While New York City is where it started, Friendly Together’s mission is anything but local. With increasing demand from other metro areas, Ana and her team are planning strategic expansions to cities like Mexico City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and London, bringing their community-first model to urban hubs around the globe.
The plan? Grow thoughtfully. Keep experiences authentic. And never lose sight of what matters most: people over platforms.
Ready to Be Friendly, Together?
If you’re ready to experience connection in a new, intentional way, visit Friendly Together’s website today and explore the platform’s curated events. Whether you’re in New York City or beyond, it’s time to put down your phone and show up for real-life connection.
