What we believe

The rooms where you made friends disappeared.

Work moved home. The office, the gym, the sidelines — the places people met without trying got quieter, and nothing replaced them. We're more connected online than we've ever been, and more distant in person — often from the people right next to us. So we build rooms on purpose.

Connection is a matter of opportunity, not ability.

An app can introduce you. Only a room can connect you.

Structure isn't the enemy of authenticity. It's the doorway.

Why I started 5 Degrees

I believe we're all closer than we think.

I started 5 Degrees because I kept noticing something that bothered me: people were becoming more and more disconnected from one another.

We are surrounded by people, yet so much of our interaction has become surface-level. We talk, text, scroll, like, and follow — but how often do we actually sit with someone and get to know them?

I believe something important happens when we do.

When we hear someone's story, or share something that goes a little deeper, we stop seeing someone as a stranger. We start seeing the person behind the label, the job, the neighborhood, the opinion.

We see the humanity in each other.

And the need for that kind of connection is bigger than I realized.

The U.S. Surgeon General has described social connection as a significant factor in our health and well-being. Social disconnection is associated with a mortality risk comparable to smoking as many as 15 cigarettes a day, along with a 29% higher risk of heart disease and a 50% higher risk of dementia in older adults. Meanwhile, Americans now spend around 20 fewer hours a month with friends in person than they did in 2003.

Source: U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation (2023)

This isn't just about feeling lonely. It's about what happens when meaningful human connection disappears from our lives.

And yet, I don't think people have stopped wanting connection. I think we've simply lost some of the places and opportunities that make it easy.

So I started 5 Degrees to create them.

Small gatherings. Real conversations. People who may have never crossed paths otherwise.

No pressure to network. No expectation to perform. Just an opportunity to be present, be curious, and discover the person sitting across from you.

But I'm not trying to build this alone.

5 Degrees is a community, and it will be built as one — intentionally and from the beginning. The people who show up, share their stories, invite someone new, and create space for others aren't just participants. They are what makes this work.

Because the kind of community I'm looking for can't be built by one person. It has to be built by all of us, together.

I believe we're all closer than we think. And sometimes, all it takes is one conversation to remind us.

Anne CaseyFounder, 5 Degrees

Straight answers

The questions people actually ask.

What actually happens at one of these?

You end up in a small group of four to six people with a few good questions to get you started, and 25 minutes later you've had a real conversation with everyone in it. Most people are surprised how quickly it stops feeling like an event.

Is this networking?

No. Nobody's selling anything, and there are no name badges with job titles on them.

Is this about loneliness?

Partly — though most people who come would just say they're busy. Americans spend about 20 hours a month less with friends in person than in 2003. Loneliness is what happens downstream of that.

Do I have to bring someone?

No, and most people don't. Coming alone is the whole point — the structure exists so it isn't awkward.

Who comes?

All ages, deliberately. The conversations get better when the room isn't all one demographic.

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.

Come to an event