When Eric and I moved to NY, we were so excited to start our new lives in the big city. But despite being in the center of the hustle and bustle, we couldn’t help but feel lonely as we quickly realized the struggles of building friendships in such a crowded place.

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I tried using a few friendship apps during this time, but they felt pretty shallow. Most profiles were just selfies, which didn't tell me anything about the person. And even when the profiles did have some info, they were always so generic and vague.

 

Fortunately, over time, we connected with a wonderful group of friends—many of whom shared our experience of feeling isolated despite being in the middle of everything. Through these friendships, a common theme emerged—how difficult it was to make meaningful connections, whether in dating or friendships. People often asked, “How did you two meet?” and “Was it through an App?”.

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To answer that, a little back story to us. I'm a tea drinker from England that speaks Hakkanese. Eric, a Mandarin speaker, is from California and likes his coffee black. I'm an artist, while Eric is a scientist. Yet despite our incompatibility on paper, after a chance encounter at a house party, we bonded over many shared interests like our love for hairless dogs, Halloween and our shared appreciation for Dieselpunk sci-fi. And just like that, we’ve been goofing around together since 2012! While dating and friendship apps weren’t mainstream back then, if they had been, I don’t think we would’ve matched based on the usual criteria.

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That got us thinking—what if the problem isn’t with the Apps, but with how we approach connections in general? Apps often miss out on the things that matter most—things like shared experiences, humor, and individuality.

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And that’s why we created Huppily.

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We realized that the real magic happens when we focus on authentic connections. Start with embracing what makes you unique and building connections based on who you truly are, not just how you look.

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Social media often make us feel like we need to live flashy, curated lives or present the perfect selfie to matter. But that’s simply not true. You ARE interesting. Your quirks, your interests, your nuances—they’re all worth celebrating and the things you'll share with your bestie.

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Whether you’re into indie games, reality TV shows, or just hanging out with loved ones, your everyday moments are what makes you interesting. 

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As Dr. Seuss beautifully said, “We’re all a little weird... And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness.”

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Be huppily u!

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Sophie Ho

CO-FOUNDER