Gofrendly app connects women

Two years after launch almost 100,000 women use the service in Sweden alone. 

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  Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja.

• Two women were looking for new friends and found a market niche that has grown close to 100,000 users in Sweden alone. The first time Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja met—through a social media forum for female entrepreneurs—was in 2015. Lilja, who had just moved home from San Francisco, and Gård, a police officer, met for fika and realized they had the same idea: to create a meeting place for women who want to make new friends.

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  The Gofrendly app works by matching users based on factors such as age and geographical location.

• Their app, Gofrendly, works by matching users based on factors such as age and geographical location. It was recently expanded with a premium subscription that offers events and experiences at a fixed price. Two years after launch the company has almost 100,000 users in Sweden, and the app recently launched in Oslo and Berlin. Gofrendly's users in Sweden range in age from 18 to 84, and comments from grateful users are constantly coming in via email, messages on Instagram, Facebook, and sometimes when Lilja and Gård are recognized on the street. It can be women who just changed location, are first in their circle to have children or someone with a new interest who’s looking for like-minded friends.

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• The app is not yet available in the United States; the next market is probably England, but if you are a woman looking for more contacts prior to your Sweden trip, see www.gofrendly.se