My name is Alex and I am the founder of oQQur. At oQQur, we want to create a platform that resonates with people who value authentic relationships. There is no room for anything that’s fake. What a relief, right? How did oQQur start? Back in 2014, I was working on my previous startup. The path of a founder is often lonely and definitely doesn’t live up to the media’s “perfect” version. As you may know, it's very easy...a little too easy...to get caught up in the vanity of social media. I was no exception. It launched a vicious circle. I spent more time on social media, which inevitably drained my happiness and productivity. It was my escape from reality. I knew something needed to change. My solution? Easy. I cut all social media consumption. None for one whole month. Then, the next month came around and I continued....and continued...and continued. Now, it’s a way of life. Along the way, I have been analysing and trying to understand what I actually loved and hated about social media. What’s my conclusion? My pros: I loved the feeling of disconnection from my reality, and the ability to see how other people live and what kind of stories they tell. I loved the serendipity of interactions that could have never happened otherwise. Mostly, I loved the unique creations that allowed people the freedom to express their creative sides. My cons: I hated the way it seemed as though only the artificial, staged, scripted, and manipulated content got noticed. I hated how likes, comments and DMs became a vanity metric instead of a way to establish true relationships. This is when I saw an opportunity... I wanted to bridge the gap between creator and fan. I wanted to create a place where friendships could grow from anywhere around the world while allowing real connections to create a lasting bond. I knew I needed to make it happen. And here we are! In the past year, I have been lucky enough to assemble an amazing team of engineers and designers who got infected with a passion for this idea and shared the same enthusiasm. And of course, we would never be complete without our amazing pioneers who use oQQur as a platform to tell the world their stories. Stay tuned and get excited to explore the lives of others. Talk to you soon! Alex and the oQQur team.