How to go to something alone without it being weird
The hardest part of any event is the ten feet before the door. Here is what the research says about that moment, and what to actually do with your hands.
The people you haven't met yet
We're reconnecting people, one real conversation at a time.
We've never been more connected online — or less connected in person. 5 Degrees is a movement to fix that, bringing people together face to face to build real relationships. And it's just getting started.
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Why this matters
We didn't stop wanting connection. We stopped bumping into each other.
Work moved home. The places people used to meet without trying — the office, the gym, the sidelines — got quieter, and social media filled the gap with something that only looks like connection. Meeting people takes intent now. That's what 5 Degrees is for.
20 hrs
less time with friends in person every month than in 2003
25 min
is all it takes to meet your next best friend, or business partner
All ages
because the need to belong doesn't stop at any age
What 5 Degrees is
A simple idea with a big mission.
5 Degrees hosts small, guided in-person events where people actually connect — not swipe, not scroll, not small-talk. A little structure, a little technology, and real relationships form. Every event grows the web a degree wider.
Upcoming
Come to the next one.
Can't make this one?
Get on the list and we'll tell you the moment something opens near you. New dates go to the list first.
Guides
Notes on meeting people.
Read
Making friends when you work from home
Proximity, repeated unplanned contact, and time with your guard down. Remote work removed all three at once, and nothing automatically replaced them.
Where to meet people in South Jersey
A practical list of the kinds of places that actually put the same people in front of each other, across South Jersey and over the bridge in Philadelphia.
The person behind 5 Degrees
Meet Anne Casey
Spend five minutes with Anne and one thing is clear: she's a doer. Where most people just notice how hard it's become to meet anyone new, she's out running events and putting real people in the same room — because that's where strangers become friends.
She cares — genuinely and intensely — about people and connection, and it shows in everything she builds. Just as importantly, she knows she can't do it alone, and she doesn't try to. She surrounds herself with talented people and brings them along, which is exactly what turns a good idea into a real movement.
Read her storyBe part of it
Join the movement
Whether you want to invest, partner, help spread the word, or just come to an event when one lands near you — the first step is the same. Get on the list, and we'll keep you close to what's next.
Invest
Help fund the next phase and grow with us early.
Partner
Bring us to your business, campus, or community.
Champion it
Know people who'd love this? Help us reach them.
Just come
Get a heads-up when an event opens in your area.
Get on the list
One email now and then — talks, ways to get involved, and events near you. Nothing more.
The next real connection could start with you.
Movements are built by the people who show up early. If any part of this resonates, we'd love to have you in the room.
Join the movement5 Degrees — a movement built on REAL connection