Prinzip 01
Encounters instead of pure information
Close should not just show what exists. The platform should help people take the next small step into a real-life encounter.
About Close
We are building Close because real-life connection needs to be easier again.
Close makes local offers, places and people visible. The platform aims to strengthen social participation in the neighborhood and digitally support existing work on the ground.
Why Close
The gap is often not in the offer, but in the access.
Close sees itself as a digital complement to existing neighborhood work and local actors. The platform helps make existing opportunities more discoverable and accessible.
01
Many offers in the neighborhood already exist but are not found by everyone.
02
Many people want more connection but don't know where to start.
03
Municipalities, providers and housing companies invest in neighborhood work, but visibility, activation and impact often remain difficult.
Close does not solve loneliness alone. But Close can make a concrete contribution: creating visibility, facilitating first steps and showing partners where activation is needed.
Our stance
A digital product for real relationships needs clear principles.
We build Close consciously calm, local and partnership-oriented. The platform should support people without overforming local work.
Prinzip 02
Local instead of anonymous
The starting point is always the neighborhood: places, offers, organizations and people reachable in everyday life.
Prinzip 03
Common good before advertising
Close is not designed to sell attention. What matters is whether local participation becomes easier.
Prinzip 04
Trust from the beginning
Data protection, clear roles and a careful handling of sensitive information are at the core of the product.
The founders
Two people accountable for how Close is built.
Close is built and led by its two founders. Between them they cover the product and technology, and the partnerships with the public and social sector that local trust depends on.
Alexander Akbik
Product & Technology
Alexander shapes the product, builds the technology behind Close, and set up the foundation. He keeps Close simple enough for everyday use and robust enough for the partners who rely on it.
- Product
- Engineering
- Foundation setup
Mathias Fallak
Partnerships & Public Sector
Mathias builds the relationships with municipalities, housing providers and social organizations that Close works alongside. He brings the context of neighborhood work and local care into every decision.
- Partnerships
- Public & social sector
- Housing
We are not building an app that wants attention. We are building the shortest possible path from ‘I don’t know where to go’ to ‘I can try this.’
Stichting Close Foundation Against Social Loneliness · The Hague, Netherlands · KVK 42089202
Common good orientation
Close should not live on advertising, data monetization or maximum screen time.
Close is designed for the common good. The foundation perspective is part of our identity: Close should serve the social purpose in the long term, not the maximum marketing of attention.
Working formulation
Close is being built as a non-profit foundation.
This structure ensures that the platform creates trust, works with municipalities and providers and enables local encounters.
What matters to us
Close should strengthen existing work on the ground.
The platform is created with a focus on people in the neighborhood and the organizations that perform work there every day.
We want to make existing social infrastructure more visible.
We want to bring people into contact at low threshold.
We want to relieve local actors, not replace them.
We want to make impact measurable without spying on people.
We want to build a platform that is also trustworthy for public and social partners.
What Close is not
A few clear distinctions help.
Close is not a replacement for local social work. It is a digital tool that makes real-life encounters more likely.
Close is not
- another social network for endless scrolling
- an advertising-funded neighborhood platform
- a replacement for neighborhood work
- a tool that solves social problems alone
- a marketplace that sells local attention
Close is
- a digital bridge to real-life encounters
- a tool for neighborhoods, organizations and people on the ground
- a platform that makes local offers discoverable and usable
Social connection should not be left to chance.
Close should help bring existing places, offers and people together better. Do you work on social participation, neighborhood development or local encounters? Then please get in touch.