By Keesa Ocampo
Photo courtesy of @groundfloorclub on Instagram.
Today, there are more data than ever that we are living in a loneliness epidemic. Nearly 1 in 4 adults globally and 27% of younger adults (19-29) report feeling very lonely. As jobs and technology change rapidly, setting the new normal, people have been left with limited social interaction at even less depth. Coming out of the pandemic, it’s become quite clear that there is a need for more meaningful connections and hopefully, an easier way to find them.
Friendship expert Shasta Nelson says that no age group is immune from the loneliness epidemic and some studies show that it peaks right around the age of 30. Why 30? “It may be an age where we feel we have a lot of unmet expectations in our personal life, all of our friends from childhood and college are doing life in different order, and it becomes an age where we start to feel like we have less in common with them, leaving us feeling alienated and isolated,” she says.
Nelson also notes that up to around the 30s, childhood, family and school create proximity to people and meeting people. Once the 30-year-old threshold is passed, how and where to find meaningful relationships reaches unchartered water. The big world filled with so many people can all of a sudden feel lonely.
With more than 8 in 10 people working in a hybrid or full remote arrangement, there’s uneven access to workspaces where individuals can socialize and make connections. The thought of being in a co-working space versus a home office feels mildly attractive - a bunch of remote workers being lonely together. And so, in a day and age where we need to have our guard up, and are encouraged to have walls down, where do we find this magical community of potential friends and how do we sign up?
Meet Groundfloor - the new community on the block where one can make friends, nurture interests, take meetings, and enrich daily lives. The secret sauce is that they’re built with a different DNA, architected to facilitate learning and kismet meetings. They offer ‘more than a desk’ with programming for wellness, clubs, and events. Dubbed the ‘anti-loneliness club offering friendship at $200’ by The Guardian, Groundfloor’s model was built to address isolation in the post-30 market.
“We're on a mission to cure loneliness,” shares Jermaine Ijieh, Co-Founder and CPO at Groundfloor. “Our vision is to enable and empower adults to build community around the things they love in their neighborhoods. We decentralize much of how Groundfloor operates to our members and provide them support to create and collaborate. We want to help revitalize neighborhoods that may not have a consistent gathering spot anymore similar to traditional institutions we had when we were younger like Places of Worship and School. We bridge individuals and businesses who've helped foster the traditions of the neighborhood, and allow for those who have long existed and new connect via their passions.”
Entrepreneur and angel investor Christina Luna, photographed at Groundfloor Oakland by Duane Ramos.
Groundfloor makes community more accessible, opening their space and events to people from a wide array of backgrounds. At its price tag, thousands have signed up, with young people and newcomers investing. Here’s how the space catalyzed relationships and how work can be made more meaningful, through the lens of Christina Luna - entrepreneur, advocate for the global Asian music industry, and an angel investor.
How did you get involved with Groundfloor? What were the compelling features of its model?
I became a member of Groundfloor in 2023 and at the time I wasn’t looking to join a social club or community space. I stumbled upon Groundfloor’s beautiful images on social media, submitted a membership application, and scheduled a tour to learn more. I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of great features of its first location in San Francisco – the inviting environment, comfortable work and hangout spaces, but most especially the creative energy the founders and community managers have cultivated. Through a variety of clubs, classes, social hours, and events I’ve made meaningful new friendships in a way I haven’t really had in other spaces.
Why did you select this as an investment opportunity and how does it align with your values and mission for local communities?
I started angel investing in 2021 and along the way I’ve gravitated to businesses that have an aspect of building local communities and ecosystems. I’ve experienced Groundfloor’s mission of community-building firsthand in San Francisco and have felt that same spirit in their other locations as well. While all opportunities have a level of due diligence involved prior to making an investment, I also believe that the best investments are the ones you have a personal connection to like me with Groundfloor.
What should women look out for when choosing where to invest?
All investments have level of risk and before choosing where to invest, you should determine your comfort level with the amount of money you’re investing. There is an incredible opportunity for women to consider investing in other women. Today, only 2% or less of venture capital is going to women-founded startups and people of color. A great way to start angel investing especially if you’re new, is to look into crowdfunding from reputable investing platforms where you can learn about diverse deals but also start with smaller investments. If you’re experienced in a certain sector and there’s an opportunity there, this is also a great way to stretch your expertise in a way that benefits your personal diligence process.
Christina Luna, Keesa Ocampo, and Dorothy Dantes at the Groundfloor Oakland, making remote work x friendship happen.
Generally - know your risk level, read and research each deal, but don’t forget to enjoy the process!
Yes! This is the apparent happy and unlikely meeting place of creative pursuit x interests! But can it become the birthplace of remote work x friendships? Beyond the $200 subscription fee, Nelson also notes that building friendships requires making consistent time for each other. Furthermore, she encourages “positive emotions” or bringing value to an experience through genuine interest, enjoyable time, and acceptance. “When people walk away, it has less to do with how impressed they were, and more to do with how loved, appreciated, and accepted they feel.” This is how friendship is made.
They say love and friendship can happen in the workplace but can it happen for this new generation of remote workers? Until we see the fading lights to the ‘always online,’ there’s hope that we can do this differently. If you’re down for the social experiment, meet me at the Groundfloor.
About the author: Keesa Ocampo is the CEO & Founder of WeSparq, a positive impact creative agency that empowers brands to find their voice and become a force for good in their milieus of influence. She is a two-time Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer for television, distinguished during a 16-year career with international broadcast media company, ABS-CBN International. She was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the US and received a Presidential Citation for humanitarian work from Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former President of the Republic of the Philippines.