Anna Bilych, Founder of Les Amis, shares how curated, intentional experiences are redefining connection and community for women in an increasingly disconnected world.
Welcome to the Business Insights Journal, Anna. We’re thrilled to have you here to share your journey and the inspiring story behind Les Amis.
1. To begin, can you please tell us about your professional journey—from your time at PayPal to founding Les Amis—and what motivated you to launch this initiative?
Absolutely. My background has been rooted in tech, product, and building user-centric experiences. At PayPal, I had the opportunity to work on products that serve millions globally, focusing on trust, safety, and making financial services more accessible. But while my career was thriving, I found myself moving from city to city for new roles and opportunities. Each move brought exciting professional challenges, but also personal loneliness — I kept having to rebuild my community from scratch.
That’s ultimately what planted the seed for Les Amis. I realized that so many women—especially ambitious, career-driven women—face this exact challenge. We’re constantly moving, evolving, chasing growth, but often at the expense of meaningful personal connections. I wanted to create something that helps women find not just new friends, but real, lasting community wherever life takes them.
2. After moving from city to city in pursuit of your tech career, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in building personal and professional relationships?
The hardest part was the sense of starting over, every single time. You lose the casual support systems we take for granted—someone to grab coffee with, share a weekend hike, or even just vent to after a long day. Professionally, it was also hard to rebuild networks in new ecosystems, where you often don’t have built-in connections. And with each move, you realize how surface-level a lot of networking can be — people exchange Linkedin pages but rarely build deeper relationships. That’s really where the idea of intentional, curated community came in for me.
3. What gap did you see in the market or in your own life that Les Amis was created to fill?
There are plenty of networking events, apps, and social platforms, but few that focus on meaningful, offline, real-life friendships — especially for women who are navigating transitions, whether personal or professional. We didn’t want another transactional platform. We wanted a space where women could show up as themselves, form authentic friendships, and find the kind of community that feels like home even when you’re far from home. That’s the gap Les Amis was built to fill.
4. How does Les Amis foster genuine, lasting connections among women, especially in a world that can feel increasingly disconnected?
We’re extremely intentional about how we curate and design our experiences. It’s not about packing a room with hundreds of people—it’s about creating small, intimate gatherings where vulnerability feels safe. We facilitate meaningful conversations, shared experiences, and provide a structure that encourages women to open up and support one another, not just swap profiles. Also, our membership model helps ensure alignment in values and intentions, which creates a shared foundation from the start.
In addition to that, we built an algorithm that matches you with profiles similar to yours based on your bio, interests, stage of life and work. Every two weeks our users receive a new match to have a chat and grab coffee together.
With Les Amis, there’s finally no more swiping — just real connections, the way it should be.
5. Can you share what makes the local events organized by Les Amis different from typical networking or social gatherings?
Many events today focus on either pure networking or pure socializing, but few blend both with true intention. At Les Amis, our events are designed to create depth, not just breadth. From curated dinner parties to small group workshops and city retreats, everything is built to foster trust and organic connection. We also intentionally keep the groups small, so members have a chance to really connect and build on those relationships over time.
6. What’s been the response from the community so far, and are there any moments or stories that stand out to you?
The response has honestly been humbling. We’ve had members form lifelong friendships, business collaborations, and even support one another through major life transitions. One member told me that she declined a job offer in another city because Les Amis doesn’t exist there yet and she doesn’t want to start over without Les Amis, Les Amis made her feel “at home faster than anywhere else.” Moments like that remind me exactly why we started.
7. How do you approach growth and community building across different cities while keeping the experience authentic?
We focus on growing intentionally, not just scaling for the sake of it. We invest in training, onboarding, and shared values across cities to ensure the same sense of belonging wherever you go.
8. On a personal level, what’s your strategy for building meaningful relationships while constantly adapting to new environments?
For me, it’s all about intentionality. I no longer wait for relationships to happen passively. I reach out, I ask people to grab coffee, I attend smaller gatherings where real conversations happen. And I stay open — some of my closest friendships have come from unexpected places simply because I said yes to an invitation. Vulnerability and consistency go a long way.
9. What advice would you give to someone who’s just moved to a new city and is struggling to find their community?
First, give yourself grace — it takes time. But also be proactive. Say yes to small gatherings, invite people for one-on-one coffee dates, and prioritize depth over quantity. Community isn’t built overnight, but every genuine interaction adds up. And don’t be afraid to seek out groups like Les Amis that are designed to help with exactly this transition.
10. Finally, what’s your vision for Les Amis in the years to come, and what’s one message you hope readers take away from your story?
Our vision is to create a global network for people who feel truly supported no matter where life takes them. I want Les Amis to be the first call you make when you land in a new city—a ready-made circle of friends who get you.
The message I hope readers take away is that real, meaningful community is possible—even in adulthood, even with busy careers, and even in new cities. You don’t have to do life alone.
Anna Bilych
Anna Bilych is an Estonian entrepreneur and former PayPal product manager who co-founded Les Amis, a social platform designed to help ambitious women build meaningful friendships and support networks. After relocating from Dublin to Barcelona, she launched the app in 2022 to address the challenges of isolation and connection in new cities.
