Founder Louis Enriquez told ANC that the startup runs expert talks in bars and deliberately keeps them offline, pointing to WHO and Gallup findings on loneliness.
Think Responsibly, a Philippine startup founded by Louis Enriquez, organises live learning sessions held in bars, where attendees hear short talks from experts, ask questions, and network over food and drinks. Enriquez, who is described as the company’s founder and chief curator, spoke about the business in an interview on ANC’s Business Outlook.
Enriquez said the startup does not upload its talks online despite repeated requests, and that it focuses on the experience itself rather than the talk or the drinks. He said the sessions deliberately combine subjects that rarely appear together, listing finance, entrepreneurship, chocolate tasting, influencer marketing, astronomy, pasta-making and tarot reading.
On consumer spending, Enriquez said people have not stopped drinking but are drinking considerably less, describing a shift toward quality over quantity, with attendees opting for a single premium cocktail over several beers while spending the evening at the session.
The report cites the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Connection, which in June 2025 identified loneliness as a major global public health challenge and estimated that one in six people worldwide experiences loneliness. According to the report, the WHO said weak social connections affect physical and mental health as well as education, productivity, economic participation and healthcare costs, and associated loneliness with an estimated more than 870,000 deaths annually worldwide.
The report also cites the Global State of Social Connections study by Gallup and Meta, based on interviews across 142 countries and territories, in which 57 percent of Filipinos reported feeling “very” or “fairly” lonely — described in the report as among the highest rates measured worldwide — while 80 percent of Filipinos said they felt socially connected.
Enriquez attributed the trend to what he called hyper-digitalisation since the pandemic, when interaction was forced online. He said he has seen increasing demand for mental health support among employees in his work as an HR professional. The report notes that mental health experts say community-based activities can encourage social interaction but are not substitutes for professional mental healthcare.
Enriquez said he expects events to become more numerous and more narrowly focused rather than larger, citing quiz nights, hobby clubs and “admin nights” where people gather in coffee shops to do routine tasks together.
Key facts
- Startup: Think Responsibly
- Founder and chief curator: Louis Enriquez
- Format: expert talks held in bars, with Q&A and networking; talks not published online
- WHO Commission on Social Connection, June 2025: one in six people worldwide experiences loneliness
- WHO: loneliness associated with an estimated 870,000+ deaths annually worldwide
- Gallup/Meta Global State of Social Connections: 142 countries and territories surveyed
- Gallup/Meta: 57% of Filipinos reported feeling “very” or “fairly” lonely; 80% said they felt socially connected
