Meet5 Europes largest social app for over40s grabs 8M to fuel global expansion

Loneliness is increasingly being recognised as a public health crisis, with aJune 2025 WHO study revealingthat one in six people struggles with it. While most social platforms chase younger audiences with short-form entertainment, Frankfurt-based startup Meet5 has taken a different bet: building a socialising app for people over 40 who are eager for real-life connections. So far, that bet is paying off.
The company announced today that it has raised €8 million in Series A funding from European VC firm Peak to expand beyond its stronghold in Germany into the Benelux, France and the U.S. “We’ve just secured our Series A of €8 million with Peak. That’s the largest funding round we’ve raised so far, and it will help us double our team and accelerate our international expansion,” saidLukas Reinhardt, founder and CEO, toTFN. As part of the move, Meet5 plans to double its team to 80 and roll out smarter feed intelligence for more relevant activity suggestions.
Founded in 2017 by Lukas Reinhardt andKai Lindemann, Meet5 has quietly grown into Europe’s largest IRL social networking platform for this demographic, counting 2.5 million registered members.  Its community organises more than 40,000 group activities every month, ranging from hiking trips and dinners to cultural events, with around 300,000 monthly participants.
The roots of Meet5 trace back to Reinhardt’s combined personal and market motivations: “It was both. On the personal side, I felt that other platforms didn’t create real connections. And then I saw the bigger picture: people everywhere feel lonely. Studies show that one in six people suffers from loneliness. I wanted to build a platform that encourages people to meet in small groups, create meaningful connections, try new things, and find friendships that last.”
Unlike competitors such as Meetup, which has a broad demographic focus but often struggles to keep users engaged beyond event discovery, or Nextdoor, which centres on neighbourhood-level digital community building with less emphasis on in-person meetups, Meet5 deliberately prioritises turning online discovery into real-life group experiences.
“Our technology is designed to get people off the screen and into real life. The app’s feed shows meetups in your area, and we’re now investing in smarter recommendations, so that the activities suggested really fit your interests. What sets us apart is our focus on the 40+ community and the scale of group activities. It’s not about endless swiping, it’s about making it easy to meet people you’ll actually enjoy spending time with,” Reinhardt explained toTFN.
For investors, it’s the combination of scale, loyalty and a sharply defined target market that makes Meet5 stand out .“Lukas, Kai, and the Meet5 team have impressively demonstrated how to build an active, loyal community. We’ve looked at various companies building social platforms for IRL activities, and Meet5’s unique focus on building a community for the 40+ population stood out for us – and for their members as well! Meet5 has enormous international growth potential that fosters real human connections in an increasingly digital world,” saysDavid Zwagemaker, partner at Peak.
More than 80% of members report an improved social life through the app, and about 90% use it at least once a week. Premium memberships provide additional features designed to facilitate easier participation in activities that align with members’ interests and foster ongoing connections.
Looking ahead, Reinhardt outlined Meet5’s ambitions: “Beyond that, we want to help even more people make their offline lives more meaningful — by scaling in our current markets, expanding into new markets across Europe and Asia, and continuously improving the product.”