Get Paid to Chat: Rent a Cyber Friend at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
▼ Summary
– Francesco Vitali initially doubted the concept of Rent a Cyber Friend but trusted his co-founder Chris Siametis, leading to the creation of a video chat platform for paid casual conversations.
– The platform grew to 3 million registered users without venture capital or marketing, and it will be featured at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.
– Rent a Cyber Friend addresses loneliness by allowing users to pay per minute for human connection, with cyber friends vetted and setting their own rates while the company takes a 20% fee.
– Safety and content moderation are challenges, with plans to improve vetting systems and maintain a healthy environment as the company expands.
– A key realization of the platform’s value came from a user who felt safe connecting globally online, highlighting the importance of human interaction over AI chatbots.
Francesco Vitali initially dismissed the concept of Rent a Cyber Friend when his longtime business partner Chris Siametis first proposed it. The idea of paying someone for conversation seemed strange to him, but their two-decade working relationship, including running the international 48FILM festival, convinced him to trust Siametis’ vision. What emerged was a video chat platform where users pay per minute to talk with verified “cyber friends” for casual companionship or specialized discussions.
Remarkably, Rent a Cyber Friend has attracted three million registered users without venture capital funding or marketing efforts. The company operates so lean that it maintains no social media presence due to limited staffing. This rapid organic growth has earned the startup a spot in TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield, where it will present later this month in San Francisco.
Vitali’s perspective transformed as he witnessed the platform’s impact firsthand. He now recognizes a profound market need for genuine human interaction, particularly as many people turn to paid AI chatbots for conversation. “Loneliness represents the world’s most widespread challenge today,” Vitali observed. “Countless individuals feel isolated, underemployed, or searching for meaning. We’ve created an environment where human time regains its worth and simply being human matters again.”
The platform carefully screens prospective cyber friends to confirm their identities before they can establish per-minute rates for their services. The company retains twenty percent of each transaction fee. While many users seek basic companionship, others pay premium rates for conversations with academics, subject matter experts, or language practice partners who speak specific languages.
Safety remains an ongoing consideration for any real-time video chat service. Vitali acknowledges the platform currently offers blocking capabilities but confirms that developing more comprehensive vetting systems represents their next product development priority. As user numbers increase, maintaining a secure environment will require additional investment and attention.
A pivotal moment occurred early in the company’s journey when Vitali noticed a nineteen-year-old Chinese user spending approximately two hundred dollars daily on the platform. By temporarily making himself the only available cyber friend, Vitali learned the young man preferred online cultural exchange over risky in-person meetings. “He explained that he didn’t feel secure visiting malls or meeting strangers physically, but our site let him safely connect with people worldwide,” Vitali recalled. “That conversation made me realize we’d created something genuinely meaningful.”
While Vitali maintains that in-person connections remain irreplaceable, he sees particular value in human-to-human platforms amid growing concerns about addictive AI chatbot relationships. In an online environment increasingly dominated by algorithms designed to maximize engagement, his company’s human-centered approach offers a refreshing alternative.
(Source: TechCrunch)
