Paid friendship services in Toronto match strangers using algorithms and personality tests, then host curated social events such as dinners and hikes. Members can buy single-event tickets or pay monthly subscriptions for unlimited access. Companies like 222, Groupvibe and Timeleft expanded operations, running multiple weekly events and growing attendance. Groupvibe reports over two hundred participants monthly and operates across fifty-plus cities. Organizers emphasize event curation and logistics to create an exclusive, approachable environment where attendees are explicitly there to meet new people. Rising global loneliness underpins demand for these facilitated social experiences.
The idea of paying to make friends may seem strange to some, but it's a growing trend in Toronto, with more and more companies offering this service setting up shop in the city. Platforms like 222, Groupvibe and Timeleft use an algorithm to group participants based on a personality test. Members can then purchase tickets to invidual events, or pay a monthly fee to access an unlimited amount of events, whether it be dining at a restaurant or a hike outside the city.
"We're trying to be a facilitator for all these social experiences by planning out the itinerary and doing the logistics and having this exclusive feeling where you know confidently that everyone is here to meet new people and have a good time," says Sasha Saiko, head of operations in Toronto for 222. The company has been operating in Los Angeles since January 2023 and in New York since February 2024.
Collection
[
|
...
]