FEEL WELCOME WHEREVER YOU GO
Meet in real life.
Build real community.
ARKKOA is a platform for groups who meet in person, and for people looking for their group. We help you find your people, build long-term friendships and get support when life gets real.
001 · BUILT FOR GENUINE CONNECTION
We need each other, more than ever.
You can be lonely in a full room.
You can know every face at Tuesday class and still have nobody to call when the car breaks down.
The meeting places already exist. What’s missing are the bits in between:
warm introductions, check-ins, being remembered when you don't show up.
That’s what ARKKOA is for.
002 · OUR FOUNDING MISSION
ARKKOA began with a spare room.
When our founder came out at nineteen, his family and his church closed their doors. Three friends with a spare room opened theirs.
Some people aren’t as lucky. So we built ARKKOA: a door nearby, a time to turn up, and a spare room when you need it.
003 · DESIGNED FOR REAL LIFE
If it meets in person, it belongs here.
Move
Run clubs
Walking groups
parkrun regulars
Cycling groups
Ocean swimmers
Bushwalking clubs
Yoga classes
Dance classes
Social sport
Martial arts
Surf lifesaving
Make
Art classes
Pottery
Craft circles
Choirs
Community bands
Men’s sheds
Repair cafés
Photography clubs
Writing groups
Makerspaces
Grow and give
Community gardens
Bushcare
Beach clean-ups
Food rescue
Op shop teams
Rotary and Lions
Volunteer brigades
Learn and talk
Book clubs
Language exchanges
Trivia teams
Board game nights
Community classes
U3A
Toastmasters
Don’t see yours? If people keep turning up, ARKKOA is for your group too.
004 · FIND YOUR PEOPLE
From stranger to regular in three steps.
Once you’re in the group
Stay in contact in between.
Group noticeboards, private messaging and event schedules in the app, so you can turn faces into friends.
Get support when you need it.
Let people know how you’re feeling, without having to speak up. Only the few people you choose see it.
Asking for help gets easy.
Ask the whole group for a lift or a meal. Offer to help out if someone needs a hand or an ear.
Near you
Find your people nearby.
See what’s on this week, how far it is to walk, and what the room is like. Go once. No joining needed.
005 · LEAD WITH EASE
Share the care. Know your people.
You see your members an hour or two a week. ARKKOA helps them look out for each other the rest of the week, so the care doesn’t all rest on you.
Know everyone by name.
Names, faces and a few words, visible only to your group.
Help beyond the usual three.
Requests go to the whole group, so it stops always being you.
Decisions everyone owns.
Votes with a public count and a secret ballot.
Care between meetings.
Members pick a few people to check in with each week.
Newcomers who come back.
By week two, someone already knows their name.
Found by the right people.
Put your gatherings on the local map when your members are ready.
006 · SAFETY BY DESIGN
You can only be yourself when you know who’s watching.
People bring their whole lives to their groups. Here’s exactly who sees what.
YOU
Your inner circle see how you are feeling.
Your group sees that you’re a member, and what you post.
Leaders see gatherings and meetings. Never your messages or your votes.
We see nothing you write. Everything is locked down with end-to-end encryption.
Nobody outside your group can search for you or browse a member list.
Is it free?
Yes, for members, always. Groups pay a flat hosting fee, plus a small fee on money that moves through Arkkoa.
Is it a dating app?
No swiping and no suggested people. You meet people by turning up to the same group.
Do I have to join a group to go?
No. Turn up to anything on the map.
What if nothing is near me?
The map is still filling in. Ask a group you already go to to join, or start one in five minutes.
How is it different from Meetup?
Meetup gets you to the first event. Arkkoa is built for the tenth, when people know your name.
How is it different from our WhatsApp group?
No endless chat and no shared phone numbers. Your week goes to the few people you choose, help requests go to the whole group, and big decisions are votes.
What if I lose my phone?
Your email gets you back into your account. A person you picked, or a leader, vouches you back into your group.
What if it’s not for me?
Leave any time. You keep a copy of everything you wrote.
