Meet People In L.A., Find Friends & Make Plans With Hank

This Patch article is sponsored by Hank.

Local businesses are the heart of our communities. Patch had a chance to talk with Brian Park, co-founder of Hank.

Patch: Tell us a bit about your business or organization.
Brian Park: Hank is a place for adults 55 and over to meet new people, find friends, and make plans. We’re the only platform that’s designed specifically for this age group to make virtual connections that translate into real world friendships, which we know is the actual key to longevity — studies show that older adults with stronger social connections have a 50% greater chance of living longer than those who don’t.

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town, or how long has your organization been around in the community?
Park: I co-founded Hank in 2020 with my childhood best friend, Andrew, after our experience seeing our parents go through the process of becoming empty nesters. We originally started Hank in New York City, and we launched in Los Angeles in November of this year. Since launching, Hank has grown into a community where thousands of members come every day to make friends, connect over shared interests, and get together in person.

Patch: What attracted you to the line of work you’re in, and how did you get started?
Park: Hank really started with my experience seeing my parents struggle to find new social circles and activities after my brother and I left the house. They were frustrated by the amount of time it took to find things to do, disappointed by the media’s outdated representation of older adult life, and unsure how to translate digital connections on traditional social media platforms into real life experiences. They eventually found social outlets through church and alumni organizations, but the process was piecemeal and even those groups didn’t feel like quite enough for them.

I’ve spent over a decade working in tech, so I naturally started to think about tech solutions that might help people like my parents make friends and in-person social connections — and voila, Hank.

Patch: If you had to sum up your business mission to a stranger in five words, what would those words be?
Park: Meet people, find friends, live longer. (That’s six, sorry!)

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or most difficult moment you’ve faced in your job?
Park: One of the biggest challenges I think all entrepreneurs face is staying focused on your vision.

Our first iteration of Hank was still focused on older adults, but was in actually a very different business. After running with that concept for several months, we started to realize that it wasn’t really helping us address the problem we were trying to solve, around social connection as a means of boosting wellness and happiness with adults 55+.

So even though we had a lot of demand for that first version of Hank, we made the tough decision to take a pause and pivot what we were doing. We spent a few months really going back to the beginning, and thinking about how to reconstruct what we were doing so that it would match our vision. Those months were really exciting and also really hard — but we’d do it again in a second, because now we have a version of Hank that’s in line with what we set out to do, which we’re really proud of.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?
Park: There are two things that get me out of bed in the morning: one is working with talented, good people on a problem that impacts a huge number of people (one in three adults over 55 experience loneliness and isolation!). The second is seeing how much Hank can add value to our members’ lives. For example: we have one member whose kids signed her up, and when she joined her first couple of activities she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. But she’s since made a bunch of friends through Hank (one is even going on a trip to India with her!), and has even hosted her own get togethers. It’s so rewarding to see the journey of members like that, and feel like we played a small part in making their lives happier and more connected.

Patch: How would you say your business or organization distinguishes itself from the others?
Park: Hank is truly the only platform that’s been specifically designed to help people over 55 make connections online, and then transfer those online connections into in-person get togethers.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?

I think the two most important things you can do is to hire people smarter than you and talk to your customers. The trick is being humble enough to hear what those customers tell you—if you really listen, they’ll tell you what they need and what they’re looking for!

Patch: Are there any new projects or endeavors you’re working on that you’re extra excited about? If so, what details can you share and what makes it so exciting?
Park: Honestly? Launching in Los Angeles! We’re really thrilled to expand beyond New York. Plus, I’m from LA — I grew up in Torrance, and my parents are still there—so it feels really special to be bringing something I built for my parents to my own hometown.

Patch: Do you have any events coming up in your community? If so, tell us about them.
Park: Hank members are creating and posting new events all the time! A few things we’re really looking forward to in December include a tour of the Mosaic House in Venice and a trip to the Joan Didion exhibit at the Hammer Museum. And keep your eyes peeled for a bigger, “official” Hank LA launch event in mid-January!

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more about your work and business?
Park: You can see what we’re all about at gethank.com. And, becoming a member is free — just sign up using your email address.

Meet people. Find friends. Make plans! Visit gethank.com to learn more.