Combating the “loneliness epidemic” with a hybrid approach to human connection.
I recently connected with the team from Kokuun at Web Summit 2025. Amidst the sea of AI automation, their human-centric mission stood out. While tech often isolates us, Kokuun uses it to bring us back together—authentically.
Here is why this Digital Wellness Community is one to watch.
🌐 The Problem: Connected, Yet Lonely
We live in the most connected era, yet loneliness is rising.
- Social Disconnect: Current apps are often limited to shallow activities (drinks, dinners) or specific Western cities.
- Retreat Fatigue: The market is saturated with retreats focused mainly on Yoga and Spa, missing deeper psychological needs.
- Tech Isolation: Remote work and tech advancements have paradoxically left Gen Z and Millennials feeling more lonely.
🦋 The Solution: A Hybrid “H2H” Ecosystem
Kokuun is a global D2C community building H2H (Human-to-Human) connections without borders, religion, or judgment. Their model rests on three unique pillars:
- Weekly Online Forums: Anonymous, moderated spaces to discuss life issues and lower the barrier to vulnerability.
- Quarterly Retreats: In-person events open to Premium members to cement bonds formed online.
- B2B Communities: Helping organizations improve workforce social well-being.
By targeting Maslow’s Hierarchy (Love, Belonging, Self-Actualization), they move beyond “wellness” into true psychological support.
👥 The Team
Founder Terry Wou leads the vision. He understands that modern users crave experiences and purpose over luxury items, creating a scalable model ready for global growth.
🤝 Synergies: How YOUR R&D Helps Scale
At YOUR R&D, we specialize in partnering with HealthTech and wellness platforms to build robust, secure digital infrastructure. We help innovative companies engineer safe, anonymous environments and seamless matching algorithms, ensuring that complex technology silently supports the human experience.
Kokuun is tackling a massive crisis: the loss of genuine connection. By using tech to enable human interaction, they are building vital wellness infrastructure.
How can digital communities better solve real-world loneliness? Let’s discuss.
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#DigitalWellness #HealthTech #MentalHealth #CommunityBuilding #SoftwareDevelopment #Innovation #WebSummit2025
