Frimake, a Toulouse-based app dedicated to in-person friendly meetups, announced on 28 November 2025 a €10 million funding round led by the Luxembourg fund Elifinity, managed from Geneva by Rhône Finance. The startup, founded in 2019 by Alae Elhayyate, a former KPMG executive, claims 820,000 active members and operates in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Canada. The stated goal: to cover the world's 200 largest cities.
A growth Series A to scale from 820,000 to several million users
The deal, detailed by Le Journal des Entreprises, comes after strong growth: Frimake has grown its base more than eightfold between 2022 (100,000 members) and 2025 (820,000). This growth was achieved without a significant marketing budget — a point raised by the founder himself in several interviews.
Three uses of the funds have been announced:
- Hiring around 20 employees in 2026 across tech, product and marketing roles.
- New offices on the outskirts of Toulouse, with a deliberate rural campus strategy.
- Product roadmap including new group organization features and themed events.
The product: organizing in-person meetups around activities
Frimake stands apart from dating apps and traditional social networks with a clear positioning: fostering face-to-face meetups around sports, cultural, or community activities. In practice, members:
- Create a profile with their interests and city.
- Browse activities available locally (running, brunch, board games, hiking, escape games).
- Join or organize groups to take part.
- Rate their experience and gradually build their circle of friends.
According to the company's figures, the app claims over 500,000 in-person meetups per week across 10,000 recurring activities.
Market: friend-finding is a new investment territory
The context clearly plays in favor of this type of platform. According to the OECD, 8% of adults across 22 European countries report having no close friends in 2025. France is among the most affected countries: 11% of French people report feeling lonely "most of the time" or "all of the time", one of the highest rates in Europe, alongside Lithuania. Young adults and men are the most vulnerable groups.
In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution identifying social connection as a global public health priority. The European Commission and the WHO have set up a dedicated commission on the issue. This institutional recognition opens up opportunities for public partnerships and impact funding that Elifinity, an ESG-mandated fund, is precisely positioned to activate.
Competition: an uncrowded field
The friendship app segment remains relatively untapped:
- Bumble BFF: an extension of the dating app, but with limited mass adoption.
- Meetup: American pioneer, but an aging product with a weak European presence outside the anglosphere.
- Happn for groups, Tandem, Patook: more marginal initiatives.
- Local networks — Facebook Groups, Eventbrite: a free alternative, but with no way to qualify profiles for friendship.
Frimake's angle of attack combines three elements: an exclusive focus on friendship (vs dating), a focus on physical activity (vs chat), and strong local anchoring, city by city. This positioning speaks directly to the 25-40 cohort, whose social circle shrank after the pandemic.
Business model and profitability
The app is free. The business model will likely move toward a combination of premium tiers for advanced features, partnerships with activity organizers, and services for businesses (team building, CSR programs tied to combating isolation). Exact financial details (current ARR, paid/free split) have not been disclosed.
For consumer app founders structuring their growth strategy, Frimake illustrates a specific case: massive organic growth before any paid marketing effort. The viral coefficient is high on this type of app, because every real-life meeting mechanically generates invitations to the new member's network.
Why Toulouse and why the campaign
The choice of the Toulouse outskirts for the new offices is consistent with an anti-isolation narrative: Frimake embraces a "slow tech" positioning that contrasts with showcase Parisian headquarters. It is also a business decision: lower real estate costs, access to a regional talent pool less competitive than Paris or London, and an employer brand that speaks to tech profiles tempted by a return to regional France.
Execution risks
Three areas to watch:
- Internationalization: going from 5 French-speaking countries to 200 cities worldwide means localizing the product and managing markets with very different social dynamics.
- Safety and moderation: as volume grows, safety at in-person meetings becomes critical.
- Monetization: turning a massive base of free users into recurring revenue remains the historic challenge for consumer socialization apps.
A growth perspective on impact-driven consumer apps
Frimake confirms a trend: impact-mandate funds like Elifinity are moving back up into consumer Series A whenever the product addresses a measurable positive externality. For founders who combine modern technologies with societal theses (mental health, social connection, inclusion), the funding window is more open than before 2024. The deciding criterion becomes the ability to combine commercial growth with measured impact.
FAQ
How much has Frimake raised?
Frimake raised €10 million on 28 November 2025 in a round led by Luxembourg-based fund Elifinity, managed from Geneva by Rhône Finance.
What does Frimake do?
The app connects members around physical activities (sport, culture, charity outings) to encourage friendly in-person encounters. The platform claims 820,000 members and more than 500,000 weekly meetups.
In which countries is Frimake available?
The app currently operates in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Canada. The goal is to cover the world's 200 largest cities, starting with Europe.
Who is the founder?
Frimake was founded in 2019 by Alae Elhayyate, a graduate of the Toulouse School of Management and a former finance executive at KPMG.
What will the funds raised be used for?
Three priorities: recruiting around twenty people in 2026, opening new offices in the Toulouse area, and developing new product features.