UAE-based social app Belong, formerly known as ASKWHO, has secured $1.5 million in a pre-Series A funding round, bringing its total capital raised to $3.5 million.

Founded in 2019 by Michael Askew and Matthew Gaziano, Belong is a community app designed to connect individuals within cities. This latest funding injection aims to enhance Belong's features and facilitate its expansion in key cities such as Dubai, San Francisco, and New York.

“Belong solves the real-world problem of loneliness, and we have demonstrated, as a fact, that our home-grown Dubai app does indeed perform extremely well both within Dubai and more mature markets within the USA,” Mike Askew, co-founder and CEO at Belong, tells StartupScene. “We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from our investors, the Belong team, and our growing user base, who all firmly believe in and support our mission.”

Belong simplifies the process of making new friends by creating city-focused communities. With the additional $1.5 million in funding, the company plans to further accelerate growth and revenue milestones, solidify its presence in major cities, and continue its expansion across the USA.

"Over 58% of adults in America, or over 192 million people in the USA alone, report feeling lonely, according to a recent Cigna survey, and we think this is a problem that is well worth solving. Therefore, we’re proud to be scaling our solution further across America and remain dedicated to putting an end to the loneliness epidemic globally,” Askew adds.

Belong has seen notable growth in its subscription model and a surge in organic installations through its referral program. The platform empowers users to build friendships by participating in local groups and discussions, attending live events, and discovering compatible profiles using their discovery tool.