Here’s the truth: we spend most of our waking adult lives at work — yet most of us still don’t really know our coworkers. Sure, we know who hits “Reply All” and who brings tuna for lunch. But we have no idea what our peers enjoy, or care about — let alone who might be free next Monday for a watch party, roller-skating, or a cappuccino and conversation.

The seeds of coexperiences were sown in 2018 when our founder, fresh out of college, moved to a new city to start her Fortune 500 job, only to find that making new friends at work was awkward and difficult.

As she tells it, “It was ironic. I was surrounded by smart, driven people — but I couldn’t find a single coworker to watch The Bachelor with. I was one step away from wearing a sign that said, Please be my friend. I’ll bring snacks. But after catching up with old college friends who shared similar stories, it hit me — maybe the modern workplace is broken when it comes to connection.”

Here’s some more truth: finding the right time and place for friendships to flourish is hard — for employees and employers alike. Choosing between your kid’s baseball game and another awkward happy hour shows just how out of sync traditional event planning is with real life — and how out of touch it is with what it takes to create events people want to attend.

“When I dug deeper, I wasn’t surprised to find that planning events at scale is a logistical nightmare. Everyone has different personalities, interests, schedules, and social styles. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work — and tailoring experiences to each person with the tools available was nearly impossible. On top of that, I learned that traditional corporate events like happy hours are wildly expensive and ineffective.”

So, Emily did what any recommender-system-obsessed nerd would do: she opened a spreadsheet, whipped up some surveys and clunky macros, and — fueled by a bit of delusional optimism — started matching coworkers into small affinity groups and inviting them to experiences based on their interests and availability. They went ice skating, kayaking, and even learned to garden. Real connections formed because these events actually fit their lifestyle. People were not only building deeper relationships — but saving the company money. Turns out, gathering for a book club, taking a hike, or playing a round of mini golf is way more affordable than a round of craft cocktails.

As more people joined, word spread — and leaders started to take notice. About a year later, a Fortune 100 COO called Emily out of the blue and asked, “How much is your product?” Emily smiled and said, “It’s not a product — it’s a hobby.” The COO laughed and replied, “You need to quit your job and go build it.”

So, she did. On March 6, 2020 — one week before the world shut down — she became a founder. Like the rest of us, she spent the early pandemic bingeing Tiger King and wondering if people would ever want to connect in person again. Today, it’s clear: they do. And with the rise of AI, creating a system that can deliver truly personalized experiences at scale, is possible.

This is how coexperiences took root — and why we exist. We’re the world’s first AI-powered concierge designed to make authentic connection both enjoyable and effortless, matching real people to real events that fit real life. We help employees skip the stress and awkwardness of meeting their peers — and employers reduce the time, cost, and headaches of fostering real connection.

And yes, Emily says, “The Bachelor watch party is still on for Mondays. Bring snacks! No judgment — just good refreshments and refreshingly good company.”