EliEtemadi

It started on a girls' night. Nothing dramatic — just a group of women, wine, and honest conversation. At some point someone said it out loud: “I don't want a relationship. I just want to be held sometimes.” The room went quiet in that way it does when something true has been said. Every woman there knew exactly what she meant.

“I don't want a relationship. I just want to be held sometimes.”

That moment stayed with me. I watched my friends — smart, independent, fulfilled women — navigate the impossible gap between not wanting the weight of a relationship and still being human. Still needing warmth. Still needing someone to just be there. And I couldn't find a single thing that existed for them. So I built it.

Before HoldMe I founded CarLer, a two-sided marketplace app connecting learner drivers with verified instructors across the UK, which grew to 2,500+ instructors on the platform. I built it alongside a full-time job, shipped it, and sold it. I know what it takes to build a platform people trust with something personal. HoldMe is that — but for something far more human.