Cheyenne Suarez

As experience economy grows, PH startup bets human connection may be next big business

People walk in the business district of Makati City on March 03, 2022 as the Philippines eases quarantine rules, with many workers returning to work. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Raine Musñgi

ABS-CBN News

<div> </div>MANILA — In an era where artificial intelligence can answer questions in seconds and social media can connect millions with a tap, one Filipino startup is making an unlikely bet: that face-to-face human connection is becoming more valuable than ever.Instead of selling products, Louis Enriquez, founder and chief curator of Think Responsibly, believes the next wave of the Philippines&#x27; experience economy will be built around something increasingly difficult to find in a digital world: meaningful conversations, shared learning and authentic communities.&quot;People are looking for curated experiences,&quot; Enriquez said during an interview on ANC&#x27;s Business Outlook. His startup organizes live learning sessions in bars where professionals gather to hear short talks from experts, ask questions and network over food and drinks. The concept reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior as Filipinos increasingly spend not only on what they buy, but also on what they experience.<div>Experience becomes the product</div>The idea comes as the global experience economy continues to expand, with consumers increasingly prioritizing travel, live entertainment, wellness, learning and community over material purchases.For Enriquez, the real product is not the lecture or even the cocktail. It is the experience itself.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yGHqAzjQe0Y?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>&quot;We&#x27;re focusing more on the experience,&quot; he said, explaining why Think Responsibly intentionally does not upload its talks online despite repeated requests.Rather than encouraging people to consume more alcohol, Enriquez said spending habits are changing.&quot;We&#x27;re not saying that people stopped drinking. It&#x27;s that they are drinking so much less... Sometimes there&#x27;s just a shift over quality over quantity.&quot; Instead of ordering several beers, attendees may opt for one premium cocktail while spending the evening learning from speakers, exchanging ideas and meeting strangers who share similar interests.The talks intentionally combine topics that rarely appear together, ranging from finance and entrepreneurship to chocolate tasting, influencer marketing, astronomy, pasta-making and tarot reading.<div>A business response to a growing need for connection</div>The startup&#x27;s business model also reflects growing global concern about loneliness and social isolation.In June 2025, the World Health Organization&#x27;s Commission on Social Connection identified loneliness as a major global public health challenge, estimating that one in six people worldwide experiences loneliness. The WHO said weak social connections affect not only physical and mental health but also education, productivity, economic participation and healthcare costs, with loneliness associated with an estimated more than 870,000 deaths annually worldwide.WHO urged governments, businesses and communities to strengthen opportunities for meaningful social connection.For Enriquez, those findings reinforce what he has observed since the pandemic.&quot;Since the pandemic, we went under, let&#x27;s just call it hyper-digitalization. We were forced into that scenario where we just had to interact with everybody digitally.&quot;He added, &quot;I feel like that&#x27;s part of what led to this loneliness economy where people are really glued to their screens. That&#x27;s also the perfect opportunity for us to create activities where we focus more on the experience, gathering actual people together.&quot; <div>Filipinos among the world&#x27;s loneliest</div>According to the latest Global State of Social Connections study by Gallup and Meta, based on interviews conducted across 142 countries and territories, 57 percent of Filipinos reported feeling &quot;very&quot; or &quot;fairly&quot; lonely, among the highest rates measured worldwide.At the same time, the study found that 80 percent of Filipinos said they felt socially connected, highlighting the difference between having many social interactions and experiencing meaningful relationships.Enriquez believes businesses built around genuine interaction can help address that gap.&quot;We&#x27;re creating these kinds of activities so that it can be, in a way, a solution and an alternative for people whenever they intend to go out,&quot; he said. As an HR professional, he said he has also witnessed increasing demand for mental health support among employees.&quot;Unfortunately, yes... that&#x27;s also part of the reason why there are so many people availing of mental health services.&quot;Mental health experts note that while community-based activities can encourage social interaction, they are not substitutes for professional mental healthcare when needed.<div>Small communities, growing demand</div>Enriquez believes the future of events may not necessarily involve bigger crowds.Instead, consumers are gravitating toward highly curated, interest-based communities, from quiz nights and hobby clubs to &quot;admin nights,&quot; where people gather in coffee shops simply to accomplish routine tasks together.&quot;I would argue that there are more pocketed events,&quot; he said. For Think Responsibly, that strategy appears to be working.Since May, the startup has staged five consecutive sold-out events, with attendance ranging from 25 to 92 participants. Enriquez said the company intentionally limits capacity, averaging around 55 guests, to preserve the intimate atmosphere that encourages conversations.The audience consists primarily of professionals and entrepreneurs in their 30s and 40s, with women making up roughly 60 percent of attendees.<div>More than networking</div>Enriquez believes the same principles can extend beyond nightlife into workplaces, education and corporate engagement.&quot;Figure out a way to make it a little bit more entertaining,&quot; he said when asked what advice he would give Philippine CEOs trying to improve employee engagement.&quot;It doesn&#x27;t have to be drinking, but there needs to be something experiential.&quot; As artificial intelligence makes information cheaper, faster and more accessible than ever, Enriquez believes businesses may need to compete on something technology cannot easily replicate: the value of being physically present with other people.If information has become a commodity, authentic human connection may be emerging as one of the experience economy&#x27;s most valuable products.

Instead of selling products, Think Responsibly, believes the next wave of the Philippines' experience economy will be built around shared learning and authentic communities.

Instead of selling products, Think Responsibly, believes the next wave of the Philippines' experience economy will be built around shared learning and authentic communities.