Tampa Startup Krew Social Teams Up With Tampa General Hospital to Tackle Employee Loneliness and Burnout
Workplace loneliness costs U.S. corporations $154 billion annually, primarily due to absenteeism, according to a report by Cigna.
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When Mike Chahinian relocated to Tampa after working in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and San Diego, he found himself “hungry to meet new people”. Yet, as many professionals who’ve made a cross-country move can attest, establishing meaningful connections in a new city isn’t easy.
That challenge inspired Chahinian to launch Krew Social, a map-based social networking platform designed to turn online introductions into real-world relationships. Since its launch, the app has gained traction among both corporate teams and small social circles.
An Enterprise Play To Combat Loneliness
Founder and CEO Chahinian told Hypepotamus that earlier adopters of the platform, whose name plays homage to Tampa’s Gasparilla Krewe heritage, include churches and other local organizations looking to help their community build stronger connections.
But the startup has also started to gain traction inside enterprise businesses.
Krew Social recently announced it is partnering with Tampa General Hospital, a move that could help tackle team member loneliness, burnout and social well-being while building “social connections at the enterprise scale.”
Users connect with people nearby through micro-events, called “hangouts.”
Hospital department leaders or individual team members can create hangouts. Krew Social’s suggestion algorithm recommends hangouts where workers are most likely to meet people with shared interests. For privacy and safety of its users, hangout locations are only revealed to invited or approved participants.
Chahinian said that future releases will integrate agentic AI to help refine the hangout algorithm.
“Through our program, Tampa General partners with early-stage companies to co-develop solutions that address challenges here at TGH and have potential impact across the health care industry. As part of the program, Krew Social worked closely with our People and Talent and innovation teams to refine their platform’s design to strengthen team member belonging, social wellness and retention — while ensuring it aligns with our culture of excellence,” said Rachel Feinman, vice president of innovation at Tampa General and managing director of TGH Ventures. “Supporting this type of transformative innovation is exactly why TGH Ventures was created.”
Connecting Via Tech
Helping large corporations build connections with their fellow peers is a strategic way to foster belonging and improve employee retention.
Workplace loneliness costs U.S. corporations $154 billion annually, primarily due to absenteeism, according to a report by Cigna.
As Krew Social has scaled, Chahinian said that he has learned that the technology “works well with as few as 1,000 people invited in a local area, enabling it to have an enterprise SaaS business model.”
Using technology to foster in-person communities is something that several founders are working on across the Southeast.
Regional startups improving how we network and connect include Charlotte-based VRV Athletics, Charlotte-based Linxy, Charlotte-based Offline, Atlanta-based Nolodex, and Atlanta-based Tapn.
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Featured photo from Tampa General Hospital
