Originating from social responsibility in an urban world where isolated individuals internalize personal burdens without a safe listening space, Orkide Ercüment brought Aloha Live to life alongside partners Emre Güvener and Ebru Özgen. Aloha Live enables authentic human conversation in complete anonymity without any personal identification.
Users register as either Speakers or Listeners. Speakers can initiate conversations by specifying preference criteria (age, gender, topic) or calling random verified listeners. Listeners must complete an online active listening training and pass a rigorous certification assessment before hosting sessions.
The concept originated while founder Orkide Ercüment was teaching Customer Relationship Management at university. During a class discussion on consumer evolution and digital isolation, she framed the core thesis: can digital habits be repurposed to bring increasingly isolated people closer together?
Every user receives 15 minutes of complimentary conversation daily. To extend conversations, users purchase Aloha Live Coins (ALC) and send digital gifts (coffee, tea, food) to listeners. Certified listeners accumulate a share of these coins, which they can redeem for popular gift vouchers.
Following 10 months of initial development, the app launched in March 2019 on iOS and Android. In 2022, after a 6-month complete rewrite, the platform relaunched with enterprise infrastructure prepared for global scaling, introducing high-fidelity real-time voice streaming alongside text chat.
Aloha Live surpassed 250,000 total downloads across iOS and Android with nearly 100,000 active users and over 15 million minutes of voice dialogue logged. Approximately 10,000 daily active users engage in conversations.
“Aloha Live is neither therapy nor counseling; it is an empathetic, judgment-free sanctuary where people can unburden their minds with dignity.”
Orkide Ercüment — Founder & CEO, Aloha Live
Original Webrazzi Article