Why Wingman exists
The world has a
social skills crisis.
Loneliness is a public health emergency across Australia and Europe. And yet there's nowhere safe to just… practise.
43%
of young Australians aged 15–25 feel lonely
Univ. of Sydney, 2025
1 in 7
young Australians experience persistent loneliness lasting 2+ years
Univ. of Sydney, 2025
13%
of EU residents feel lonely most or all of the time
European Commission JRC, 2023
A$2.7B
annual healthcare cost of loneliness in Australia
AIHW / Univ. of Sydney
Our story
Why we built this
The problem
We kept seeing people around us — smart, capable, kind — held back not by ability but by the fear of saying the wrong thing. Job interviews bombed. Friendships never started. Relationships never deepened.
The insight
Social skills aren't innate. They're practised. Athletes train before the game. Pilots use simulators before the cockpit. But for real-life conversations — the ones that actually matter — there's no practice space.
The mission
Wingman gives everyone a private, judgement-free space to rehearse the conversations they're most nervous about — until confidence becomes the default.
The research
Don't take our word for it
The data behind why this matters — from Australia and Europe.
“More than 2 in 5 young Australians aged 15–25 feel lonely. Young people experiencing persistent loneliness are more than 7 times more likely to experience high or very high psychological distress.”
Associate Professor Michelle Lim & Professor Ben Smith
University of Sydney · 2025
“15% of Australians aged 15 and over experience social isolation, and 15% experience loneliness. Social isolation and loneliness are linked to mental illness, emotional distress, suicide, dementia, and premature death.”
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
AIHW — HILDA Survey · 2023
“13% of EU respondents feel lonely most or all of the time. People experiencing frequent loneliness are approximately 20 percentage points more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms. Loneliness may impede social cohesion and should be regarded as a social problem.”
European Commission Joint Research Centre
First EU-Wide Loneliness Survey — 25,000+ respondents across 27 member states · 2023
“8% of people across 22 EU countries report having no close friends, and approximately 871,000 deaths globally each year are linked to loneliness and limited social interaction. Daily face-to-face interactions have declined consistently across European OECD countries since 2006.”
OECD Social Connections and Loneliness Report
OECD / Euronews · 2025
The roadmap
Where we're headed
Ideas in development as Wingman grows.
Expert Knowledge System
Real psychologists, therapists, and social skills coaches will be able to upload research, frameworks, and guidance directly into Wingman. Their expertise gets woven into every scenario — so the AI isn't just simulating conversations, it's teaching evidence-based techniques. Experts will also be able to review individual users' sessions and leave personalised coaching feedback.
Voice-First Practice
Full end-to-end voice conversations — speak naturally, get spoken responses, and receive real-time feedback on tone, pace, and word choice. Because real confidence comes from practising out loud.
Community & Peer Practice
Opt-in matched practice sessions with other Wingman users — a safe, structured space to rehearse with real people before taking those skills into the world.
“We're not building a substitute for human connection.
We're building the on-ramp to it.”
— The Wingman Team
Start for free