The People Behind Sidekick
An artist and entrepreneur who wants to heal the universe · A law professor who
gave up his tenure out of concern for what screens are doing to society
Together, they’re building the platform Silicon Valley can’t
Our Mission
Our mission is to foster connection, belonging, and joy by empowering adults
to make new friends and pursue the activities they love
Our Core Values
Humanity
We care about people. We are active listeners who take time to know, respect, and appreciate our users and team members. We believe that human needs and desires should drive the future of technology, not the other way around.
Authenticity
We strive to embrace our true selves. We live our lives as we really are, not as airbrushed, curated versions of someone else’s ideal. We delight in diversity of all kinds and, above all, value diversity of experiences and perspectives.
Audacity
We take risks, challenge assumptions, learn, and adapt. We think big, aim high, and don’t shy away from hard things. We intend nothing less than to revolutionize the way Americans make friends.
Passion
We are energized by our mission, our team, and the work we do. We believe life is meant to be lived in the flesh-and-blood, earth-and-air, real world — not inside our devices. We celebrate our users’ interests and strive to help them have fun.
Laura Illig
Founder & CEO
Artist & Entrepreneur
Laura Illig
“The most radical act is to show up as your real, unoptimized, imperfect self.”
Laura has never followed a straight line, and that’s exactly what makes her the right person to reimagine social technology. A graduate of Williams and Mount Holyoke Colleges with an MBA from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business, she began her career at Citibank in New York and London before relocating to Oregon in the wake of 9/11, where she ran her own strategy and marketing consulting firm.
But Laura is also an artist. Her abstract acrylics and collages — vivid, layered, unapologetically bold — reflect the same creative philosophy she brings to Sidekick: that human creation has intrinsic value, that imperfection is a feature, and that the most meaningful things emerge when you stop performing and start making something real.
It was Laura who, during a cross-country drive through Montana during the COVID-19 lockdown, first articulated the idea that became Sidekick. She saw a world that had lost its ability to connect, and believed technology could be part of the cure, not just part of the disease. She resigned from her job, and she and Robert sold their house to fund the startup.
When she’s not building Sidekick
Laura paints abstract acrylics and collage at La Woman Studios. She’s an avid reader of contemporary and historical fiction, and her travel bucket list is topped by Turkey and Greece.
former law professor
Robert Illig
“They told us we were the users. It turns out we were the product.”
Robert’s path to Sidekick began with a growing sense of unease. A graduate of Williams College and Vanderbilt Law School, he spent the first half of his career as an M&A lawyer in New York and London — high-stakes, high-intensity work that left little room for the question that would eventually consume him: why are so many people so lonely?
He left legal practice to become a tenured professor and national expert on the regulation of venture capital and private equity. But even from the lectern, he could see the toll that screens were taking on his students: the isolation, the anxiety, the erosion of genuine human connection. He watched a generation retreat behind their devices and knew that the platforms claiming to connect them were doing the opposite.
Robert brings legal expertise, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of both corporate structure and human nature to the Sidekick team. His background in business law and venture capital means he understands the systems Sidekick operates within, and the ones it’s trying to change.
When he’s not building Sidekick
Robert is a devotee of jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, and the NYT Sunday crossword. He collects vintage vinyl from the late ’70s and early ’80s — Dire Straits, Blondie, Talking Heads — and geeks out on how weather and disease shaped ancient civilizations.
Robert Illig
Co-Founder & COO
Halloween 2023 in first-year Contracts class
Our Story
A Husband-and-Wife Team of Thirty Years
Laura and Robert founded Sidekick because, as Laura puts it, they “want to heal the universe.” Having lived and worked everywhere from New York to Nashville, Oregon to Osaka, and Missouri to London, they’ve seen how growing divisions have overtaken our world. Too many people are sad or lonely, and too much of our discourse is divisive and toxic.
The idea took shape during the COVID-19 lockdown. On a drive through Montana, they imagined a mobile app that could act as a catalyst for community-building rather than just another form of entertainment. They had heard their daughter speak of unsuccessful attempts to make new friends through dating apps, and they knew the struggle of finding people nearby who share niche interests.
“We may not be traditional Internet entrepreneurs, but we believe that the key to reimagining social media doesn’t lie in new or better technology. Instead, we want to target the social and cultural issues that plague social media, the kind of issues that could best be solved by a history major and a lover of modern literature.”
Pledging wholehearted commitment to their idea, Laura resigned from her job, Robert gave up his tenured position at the University of Oregon, and they sold their house to fund the startup. They chose “Sidekick” as a name because who doesn’t want a buddy to join them on their adventures?
Every step of the design process has been built with the input of 12 college students and academics, ensuring that their solution is based on a strong foundation of theory and resonates with the generation that needs it most.
Our Philosophy
Sincerity is the New Subversion
Something is shifting in the culture, and you can feel it even if you can’t name it yet. After a decade of algorithmic feeds, curated personas, and an increasingly synthetic media landscape, people are hungry for something they can’t quite name.
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Field Notes from a Friend
Watch short-form videos by our CEO exploring the philosophy behind Sidekick: why human creation has intrinsic value, why imperfection is a feature, and what comes next.
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Toward a New Authenticism
Read our working paper on human creativity, radical sincerity, and the case for building a culture that values the real over the virtual, presence over performance.
Woman-owned
Mission-driven
Built in Eugene, Oregon
Let’s Re-Build the Connection Economy Together
Whether you’re a potential partner, community organization, or someone
who believes technology should bring people together, we’d love to hear
from you