Founder's Letter

My name is Claudio Rios, I'm an ex-senior HR Leader from Chewy and HelloFresh and when I started NuFriends, I set out to build something for my sister.

Like many people these days, she was feeling the weight of loneliness. Life had shifted, friends had moved, and meaningful friendships were becoming harder to come by. One night, in a moment of vulnerability and bravery, she posted:

“I’m watching Twilight tonight. If anyone wants to join, come over.”

Soon after she said, “Claudio, I’ll be happy if one person shows up.”

Within 3 days, over 79 strangers RSVP’d and Nineteen showed.

And I remember the look on her face that night; the joy, the spark, the ease of just being surrounded by people who showed up for the same reason: to feel connected. As her older brother, that night meant everything to me.

That’s when the mission became clear:
I wanted to create something that captured the magic of that night - the togetherness, the laughter, the joyful, judgement free bonding.

NuFriends is that vision.

With care,


Claudio Rios