Wise Friends: The Perth Startup Redefining Social Connection For Seniors

It started with one man’s loneliness.

When Perth local, Ron Forlee, lost his wife several years ago, he began looking for ways to meet new people simply to fill the silence. Those casual meetups became a lifeline — and eventually, the seed of an idea. Among friends who gathered for drinks and conversation, Forlee noticed a common thread: everyone was searching for connection.

That humble social club drew in accountant Eddie Ko, who saw something more. “I said, why not turn this into a social enterprise?” Ko recalled. “There are so many people going through the same phase of life — why not use technology to bring them together?”

And so Wise Friends was born — a platform designed to help seniors connect, share experiences, and access information in a safe, supportive digital space.

From a social club to a startup

In its earliest days, Wise Friends was little more than a WordPress site for a few dozen members who’d met through Forlee’s informal gatherings. But as interest grew, Ko and the newly joined Bernard Chia saw potential to scale.

They began reimagining Wise Friends as a technology platform: a space where seniors could talk, find local events, and even ask for help through an AI-powered chatbot. The innovation wasn’t about flashy tech — it was about making digital interaction easier.

“Many seniors struggle with typing,” Ko said, “So we built voice capability into the chatbot, so they can just speak naturally and get answers or connect with others.”

Behind the simplicity lies a complex purpose: tackling loneliness and digital exclusion at scale, using technology that seniors can easily use.

Building momentum: growth, partnerships, and purpose

When Chia came aboard, Wise Friends took a professional turn. A seasoned digital marketer, he rebuilt the website, introduced a CRM system, and began mapping a real growth strategy.

“The original site couldn’t track users properly,” Chia said. “Now we’ve got a single source of truth — a proper system that lets us understand our members, build trust, and grow.”

Under Chia’s direction, the team also partnered with youth membership platform Student Edge to deliver discounts and offers — a surprisingly powerful motivator in today’s cost-of-living crunch. “For seniors, discounts are huge,” he said. “That’s what Student Edge nailed with young people, and we’re adapting it for an older audience.”

The traction is already visible. From fewer than twenty members, Wise Friends now counts over two hundred active users, with a target of one thousand by year’s end. On TikTok — not the usual stomping ground for seniors — their videos have pulled close to 100,000 views, driving top-of-funnel awareness for the brand.

The year ahead: scaling for connection and impact

The next twelve months are set to be pivotal. Phase one is all about solidifying the platform’s discount and social engagement features. Phase two will add a rewards system, recognising members who volunteer or contribute skills to the community.

“There’s so much experience in our members,” Ko said. “Some are retired teachers, accountants, or tradies — they still want to contribute. So why not reward that with points or recognition?”

Chia sees this as the foundation of a sustainable business model. Wise Friends plans to introduce a freemium structure — free for all to join, with premium content, better discounts, and exclusive features for paying members. But the focus remains squarely on trust and ease of use.

“Seniors are cautious online,” he said. “They’ve been scammed before. So everything we build — from security to payments — has to earn their confidence first.”

A smarter way to age well

Wise Friends may have begun as a modest act of friendship, but its ambition now reaches far beyond Perth. Forlee, Chia and Ko are clear-eyed about the mission: to build a platform that helps people age with dignity, confidence, and connection — and to prove that tech-for-good startups can thrive commercially too.

“This isn’t about chasing hype,” Chia said. “It’s about solving a real problem that affects millions of people. If we can make life a little less lonely and a lot more connected — that’s success.”