Our Story

Where home meets ambition.

The story behind the name, the founder, and the vision.

The Name

ụlọ

pronounced oo-loh

Home. In Igbo.

In Igbo Tradition

In Igbo culture, the home — ụlọ — is not just a physical place. It is where you are known. Where you belong. Where your people gather. It is the first word a child learns for where they come from.

The Origin

Built from lived experience.

Olivia Igbokwe was born in Nigeria — raised in Houston, Texas — and built her career across the largest stages in America, from Capitol Hill to a Fortune 2.

Olivia was constantly told her superpower was the ability to network and connect. She saw the white space, understood what women at all life stages were missing and Ulo was born. Ulo is scalable infrastructure that helps women find their people. Find their place. Find home. Women navigating the world at every life stage — a new city, a new marriage, a new career chapter — had no dedicated platform built to meet other women where they were, until now.

My superpower is connection — and Ulo helps me scale it.

— Olivia Igbokwe

The Problem

Women were everywhere. The structures to connect them were not.

The wrong rooms

LinkedIn was built for recruiters. Bumble BFF was built for casual friendship. Neither was built for the woman who needs a peer at her level — someone who understands what it costs to be where she is.

The missing context

Generic networking ignores everything that matters most: where you live, what chapter you're in, what you're actually navigating. The best introductions aren't random — they're precise.

The loneliness paradox

As women age, it gets harder to find peers. The vulnerability gets harder. The need for real community only grows.

How It Works

Four steps to finding your people.

1

Create your profile

Tell us your city, career chapter, and life stage. No scrolling a feed. No cold connections.

2

Get matched by context

We surface women in your city who share your chapter. Every connection has a reason.

3

Join your Circles

Small, ongoing digital communities organized by life stage and interest. Ask real questions. Get honest answers.

4

Show up IRL

Curated dinners, workshops, and events designed for your stage. Real rooms, real women, real conversation.

The Stages

Every chapter deserves its own circle.

Ulo is organized around ten life stages — because where you are shapes who you need beside you.

New in the City

Finding your footing.

Career Pivot

Reinventing on your own terms.

Executive

Leading at the top.

New Mom

Navigating the hardest math.

Single Mom

Carrying it all with grace.

Newly Married

Stepping into marriage — for the first time or again — and navigating a new world alongside personal ambition.

Newly Single

Rebuilding on your own terms.

Empty Nester

Rediscovering who you are.

Returning Pro

Back, and better.

Founder

Building in public.

Why Ulo

More than a network.

Ulo is a membership — curated, context-aware, and designed for where you actually are.

Join the Waitlist →

Context-first matching

You're not matched by keyword or algorithm. You're matched by where you live, what chapter you're in, and who can actually meet you there.

Circles that go deep

Small digital communities organized around your life stage. Not a group chat — a circle. With real norms, real conversations, and real trust.

IRL events that mean something

Intimate dinners, workshops, and gatherings designed for your chapter. Not networking events — experiences built for connection.

A membership that respects your time

No scrolling feeds. No cold inbound. Ulo works the way the best introductions do — with context, care, and intention.

Olivia Igbokwe, Founder of Ulo

Founder

Olivia Igbokwe

The Founder

Olivia Igbokwe

Founder & CEO, Ulo

Olivia Igbokwe built her network and career through connection. She understands the power of a strong network and the joy of the right circle. She founded Ulo after learning how many women appreciate and value being connected with one another. Women at various life stages who want to meet similarly situated women with intentionality.

Ulo is the circle she built for you.

Your circle is waiting.

Join the waitlist for Washington D.C. — launching May 2025.

Join the Waitlist →