One of the residual effects of the pandemic and remote working has been a lack of employee engagement and connection. This is a problem that Emily Stewart and her company, Belong For Me, are looking to solve via the startup’s networking solution platform and AI-powered algorithm. Employers purchase Belong For Me’s software-as-a-service platform, and employees can use it to be matched with fellow coworkers and book small group events they can enjoy together. Stewart founded the company in 2020 and spent over two years working in stealth mode, but in that time she and her team, which has now grown to 20, have been able to build the platforms, file provisional method patents, conduct testing and more.
How can Pittsburgh better serve its startup community?
Pittsburgh is a great city to start a company because of the access to exceptional talent. I moved back to Pittsburgh after living in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas for 10 years because I was fortunate to find great team members to help me build the company. However, Pittsburgh does have limitations with access to broader and deeper groups of angel investors. I also think the number of women tech entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh is very limited.
What do you hope your startup will be doing five years from now?
My goal from the beginning has been to create an innovative solution that decreases employee loneliness and improves mental health through creating authentic work friends. Research has proved that work friends can be more impactful to mental health than a significant other or family friend. In five years, I want the Belong For Me solution to be widely available to every employer in the U.S.
Join us at The Assembly in Bloomfield on Sept. 20 to honor our Fire Awards recipients and celebrate innovation, resilience and the spirit of entrepreneurship.
