Our Story

Uchi - Share the real you.

I felt bad and sad to see a father and his daughter arguing in public. I felt horrible for these two people who obviously loved each other but struggled to show it. Each was yelling and neither was hearing the other. Then it occurred to me, neither the father nor the daughter were saying what was really on their mind or how they truly felt.

So I wondered, how can conversations be made easier? How can we help people share their perspective and be heard by the other; by the important people in their life? How can we help “level the playing field” so everyone is sharing in a similar way?

Eureka! How about asking a few easy questions to get the conversation started. Bigger conversations can only happen once there is a foundation of connection. When posed with a question most people will answer it especially if it’s not too intrusive. If it’s done in writing then it gives each person a chance to slow down, think, find the right words, and express themselves, in their time. Plus, it’s usually a lot easier to write about how you feel than to say it. And rarely do we ever say it anyway much less have it be received as intended.

What started as an idea before social media and smartphones existed is now a new kind of “social” app where you can truly “share the real you”, privately, with ONLY your inner circle of family and friends. Who knew cyberbullying and trolling was going to be an issue online and thankfully there’s an app with prevention built-in. It’s called Uchi.

Uchi means “in-group” or “inner circle”, in Japanese. Our mission is to help people connect authentically with those who matter most to them.

– Kevin Strauss, Founder & CEO

What We Believe

We believe people yearn to feel closer to others. Not to everyone but to the people who matter most to us. We long to be heard and valued because then we know we matter and that makes us happy. Happy people do good things and are less destructive to themselves and others. The closer and happier we are the better our world will be.


Our vision is a world at peace because every human being truly believes they matter.