The Scoop: Wisdo is an AI-powered wellness platform geared toward fostering meaningful connections. The online community includes support channels where singles can discuss their personal experiences, challenges, and life goals. Health professionals and peer-to-peer mentors regularly join the discussion to offer empathetic insights regarding self-growth and mental health. With nearly 2 million members, Wisdo promotes a fast-growing network that motivates today’s digital citizens to lead happier and healthier lives.
Boaz Gaon lost his father Benjamin Gaon to cancer in 2008. His father was a well-known philanthropist and the president of the Israel Cancer Association, and his passing sparked an outpouring of condolences and memorials across the internet.
Despite this caring content, Boaz said he felt alone in his grief and struggled to find people who could understand what he was going through.
Boaz Gaon founded Wisdo to create a friendlier and healthier space online.
“It should be easy to use technology to find people to lean on, but it was so difficult,” Boaz said. “Out of that experience came the idea to create an online tool that matched people in ways that improved their mental and social health.”
In 2016, Boaz turned his musings into a movement and launched the Wisdo platform to connect lonely singles from all walks of life. The social network has sparked an ongoing dialogue about mental health, physical health, and self-growth by encouraging people to tell their stories and meet others who share similar experiences.
Wisdo is backed by a 12-person team that includes passionate technology innovators and dreamers. Some team members have left roles at larger tech companies to support this tech startup’s altruistic mission and make a difference in the social media landscape.
The Wisdo company ethos pushes back against the toxic environment perpetuated by constant scrolling, swiping, and superficial matching. The community-driven platform offers lonely singles the chance to reach out to like-minded people and find a sense of belonging and acceptance online.
“We all own unique types of wisdom that were shaped and honed by our experiences, and that wisdom should be known by others,” Boaz said. “All of us, wisdom seekers and sharers alike, wanted to download experiences and make them proactively searchable to those in need, when in need. To help people anticipate the road ahead by shining a light on the journey behind.”
Wisdo is free to download on Android or iOS, but members must enroll in a monthly or annual subscription to get the full experience.
The App Connects People Through Shared Goals & Experiences
A single person’s mental health can deteriorate in environments where self-esteem is measured by likes, swipes, and reposts. Social media platforms and dating platforms can treat individuals as if they were commodities and lose sight of the humanity behind the profile.
“Even though we’ve never been more connected, we’ve never felt more alone, and you see that reflected in numerous studies,” Boaz said. “Social media creates a cycle of judgment and competition that becomes counterproductive to mental health.”
Wisdo promotes helpful resources for a variety of mental health issues.
Wisdo was created on a foundation of empathy and humanitarianism. Its team started by acknowledging the flaws in modern social media and working toward healthier solutions to engage the heart and mind.
Today, Wisdo has over 1.8 million members who range in age from 18 to 82. These individuals are looking for a healthy alternative to mainstream social media and dating platforms. They’re looking for answers, for new friends, and for meaningful relationships that can help them feel less alone.
“You are surrounded by people who say ‘It’s OK’ and ‘I’m here for you,'” Boaz said. “We are making a significant dent in loneliness trends, which is incredibly satisfying.”
Wisdo members create a profile, set personal goals, and join communities geared toward their interests, experiences, and values. The most popular community is devoted to mental health — over 550,000 members follow the discussions taking place in this niche space. Other popular communities focus on self-growth, caregiving, identity and family, health problems, and financial issues.
Over 60% of members engage in conversation within minutes of joining the Wisdo network. The average user visits the platform about 16 times per week and sets at least two wellness goals for themselves.
Average People Become Leaders in Heartfelt Conversations
People are at the heart of Wisdo’s success. It takes a collective human effort to make an online community thrive. Behind the scenes, professionals pool their talents to streamline the online experience. On the app, individuals take the time to share their thoughts and show kindness to others. Every conversation is an opportunity to make a meaningful connection and change the course of a person’s life, which is the ultimate goal of Wisdo.
“We wake up in the morning with a sense of satisfaction and joy because we’re working at something that will improve lives on a daily basis,” Boaz said. ” That’s in the DNA of people at the company.”
Guides can offer a sympathetic ear and practical advice.
The Wisdo team sets a compassionate example for its members to follow. The platform has empowered the most active members of the community to work as a Guide for others like them.
Once singles have overcome challenges and reached their goals, it’s natural for them to want to help others do the same, and Wisdo creates a space for those conversations and mentorships to flourish.
About 20% of members choose to become Guides and mentor people on the app. Older individuals are more likely to want to take up this leadership position. The platform offers training and creates matches between users who share similar backgrounds or care about the same wellness issues.
A Wisdo community manager named Lorraine said Guides often learn a lot more by helping other people than they would from exploring the forum on their own. “They find value in listening to people,” she explained. “While they’re sharing their stories, they’re learning and they’re saying the things they need to hear.”
Wisdo members also have access to certified life coaches who offer individual and group coaching sessions. The team is in the process of adding an on-demand telehealth component to the app as well. That way, singles can get in touch with a trained therapist or medical professional with a simple click.
Reporting a 70% Reduction in Loneliness Among Active Users
By fostering empathetic and motivational chat groups, Wisdo has fueled many breakthrough moments and uplifting stories. People may turn to Wisdo because they’re feeling lost or lonely, but they soon find themselves surrounded by positive energy and caring friends.
Wisdo currently has over 50 well-being communities focused on self-growth topics, including improving sleep, reducing stress, eating healthy, and getting motivated. It also has space for pandemic-related support groups and mindfulness lessons.
The algorithm makes a point to direct helpful resources toward users who struggle with mental health. An individual may start by joining a community for depression or loneliness, and then discover community suggestions for exercise or social activities.
“The community is about being alone and needing a shoulder to lean on, but it’s also about doing something about it,” Boaz said. “It’s a conscious decision for how we move forward and get to a better place.”
The purpose of Wisdo isn’t just to give people an outlet to vent about their problems — it also works toward finding solutions and offering new beginnings in the face of setbacks.
“Wisdo is the epitome of social networking because you’re actually talking to real people,” said a Wisdo community leader named Billy.
A transgender woman named Chloe was dealing with PTSD from military service when she discovered Wisdo. She became active in the discussions, formed valuable relationships with her peers, and now acts as a Guide on the app. “Wisdo isn’t just a platform — it’s a family,” she said. “It is like my extended family.”
Internal data suggests that Wisdo is successfully improving social connections and bolstering mental health across the board. Within two weeks of downloading the app, 70% of active members in a survey said they felt less lonely and more connected.
Wisdo Breaks the Unhealthy Cycle Fueled by Social Media
Boaz created Wisdo to prove that social networking doesn’t have to be mean, manipulative, and mentally damaging. Not when good people and ethical communities are behind it. The platform has promoted social health by encouraging safe, friendly, and nonjudgmental interactions between like-minded strangers.
People who browse Wisdo can find solidarity in wellness communities. They can share their stories, learn the importance of self-care, and join a movement toward better mental and physical health. The more they engage on the platform, the more they can help themselves and others feel less alone in the world.
Looking to the future, Wisdo is currently working to extend its influence by partnering with other wellness-driven companies in the tech industry. Boaz said he’s particularly keen to work on outreach to the 60+ population and use technology to reverse the trends on senior loneliness.
“Technology can be a force for good,” Boaz told us. “I think many of us in the tech industry are going back to the mindset of asking ‘How can we change the world and create a better society?’ As naive as that sounds, it’s what it’s all about. Otherwise what is technology for?”
