Events · Published Aug 20, 2026

Men looking for friends

College-educated men aged 25-55 who are socially functional but situationally cut off — by remote work, relocation, or divorce — and are actively hunting for structured, recurring ways to build real male friendships without a bar tab or a stadium seat. The 'man-friend gap' is documented and widening: the share of US men with zero close friends has quintupled since 1990, and these men know it and want a fix.

Why this is growing

·The share of US men with zero close friends rose from 3% in 1990 to 21% by 2023 (Survey Center on American Life), creating a massive unmet demand for friendship infrastructure that products can fill.
·A June 2026 Science study of 588,322 workers found remote employees spent 58% more hours alone per day and had a 72% higher chance of zero daily human contact — directly pushing remote-working men toward paid social alternatives.
·Hiking clubs grew sixfold in 2025 (Strava, 180M users) while Gen Z fitness spending grew ~9% vs. under 4% growth in bar spending (Bank of America), proving men are actively redirecting social budgets away from alcohol toward activity-based connection.

01 — Who they are

Who they are

Newly Remote Professional

Men aged 28-45 in knowledge-work jobs who lost their office-based social life when they went fully remote and now spend entire days without human contact. They have disposable income and a clear, named problem: the workday used to provide ambient friendship and it no longer does.

Post-Relocation Rebuilder

Men aged 25-45 who moved for a job or a partner since 2020 and left their entire social network behind; 5 million Americans relocated due to remote work since 2020. They are motivated buyers because the pain is acute and immediate — they have zero local friends and know it.

Post-Divorce Re-entrant

Men aged 35-55 who outsourced their entire social life to a spouse and are left with zero independent friends after divorce. Research shows divorced men show the sharpest spikes in isolation and depression of any demographic, yet are highly motivated to rebuild — they have both the need and the income.

02 — What they're struggling with

What they're struggling with

·Lost every friend when the office disappeared.

highNewly Remote Professional

·Moved cities and knows no one outside of work.

highPost-Relocation Rebuilder

·Divorce wiped out the only social support network he had.

highPost-Divorce Re-entrant

·No sober, non-sports default for meeting men his age.

highNewly Remote ProfessionalPost-Relocation RebuilderPost-Divorce Re-entrant

·Only 21% of men got emotional support from a friend last week.

mediumNewly Remote ProfessionalPost-Divorce Re-entrant

03 — What they search

What they search

The exact words they type into Google.

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