Alejandro Arce — home Thinking in Public
No. 60 · Business

Loneliness is a business opportunity

Line illustration: two separate armchairs facing each other across a narrow gap, connected by a single thread strung between them.

Loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking cigarettes.

It's a market nobody is building for at scale. Change society by finding purpose for people.

The way to beat loneliness is to help others not feel lonely.

Ten to build

01
A recurring dinner table: strangers seated together weekly, same time, same table, no app required
02
A walking or running club that meets three times a week, rain or shine, same corner
03
A "third place" membership: a room built for showing up
04
A companion service that pairs volunteers with seniors for one call a week
05
A grief and transition circle: a paid, recurring room for people between chapters of life
06
A hobby-matching app that groups people by what they build
07
A co-living house built for people who work remote and eat alone
08
A workplace program that pays for offline time: lunches, walks, nothing branded
09
A neighborhood app that turns "event nearby" into an actual standing appointment
10
A membership fee that's cheaper for two: every plan discounted when a friend joins with you

The common thread — a schedule, real people, something to do

These need someone willing to run the room on a schedule, and keep running it after the first slow month.

Loneliness is a problem to build for.

Build the room. Skip the app.

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