Two University of Bristol alumni are about to launch a friend-finding app that links up like-minded strangers.
Fethr was born during the first lockdown when Julian Issa and Miguel Bravo, who first met while studying at the university, were sharing a London flat. 
Discussing loneliness with fellow flatmate and fethr co-founder Gerardo Rodriguez, the three realised they had felt isolated long before the pandemic struck.
Julian’s job as a business analyst meant he ended up living in 10 cities in two years, which made it difficult to build friendships.
Researching the topic, he discovered that 45% of adults in England felt lonely at least some of the time.
Julian, who studied at Bristol for a MSci in Geography between 2010 and 2014, said: “Meaningful human connection shouldn’t be such a difficult thing to find in the 21st century and that is why we started fethr.
“There is nothing more exciting than being sat in a hostel and chatting to people from across the world.
“However, it’s difficult to recreate that in your normal life. When I was moving to new cities with my old job, I found it difficult to build a community of friends quickly.”
Fethr users fill out a questionnaire about their personality, values, interests and friendship preferences.
They are then put in groups of four to six to meet for anything from drinks and dinner to yoga and gallery-hopping.
After their mate date, attendees anonymously feedback on who they clicked with. If both parties liked one another, the app puts them in contact to continue their friendship.
After a successful trial in Sydney, the app is now in the final stages of development and will launch in London on August 17.
Now 11-strong, the fethr team plans to roll out to other UK cities, including Bristol, by the end of the year.
Miguel, who studied Mathematics and Philosophy at Bristol, used his background to craft a sophisticated algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to match strangers together – no swiping required.
The app also draws on research from psychologist Dr Kelly Campbell, one of fethr’s advisors.
Miguel said: “Bristol gave me the platform to meet many amazing people from different backgrounds to my own, who have been hugely influential in my life and career path – not least my good friend and co-founder Julian Issa.”
Julian added: “Fethr is going to disrupt the way people socialise. Traditional avenues for making friends continue to be squeezed by the pandemic, working from home and increased digitisation. “Now, more than ever before, people want it to be easier to make meaningful connections, whether short-term or long-term.”
Pictured: Fethr co-founders, from left, Julian Issa, Miguel Bravo and Gerardo Rodriguez
