Our team
Behind the kettle
কেটলি ketli · the kettle, on from first light
Who’s building Tong, and why.
Why Tong
Making friends as an adult is hard.
A new city, a new job, old friends moving abroad, and suddenly there’s no one to call for cha.
In Bangladesh, friendships have always started at the tong: a bench, a cup of cha, someone new beside you. The stall on your corner can’t follow you to a new city. Tong can.
Tong is that bench, built again: calm, checked, in two languages, and made for Bangladesh. It was founded by Rony Anwar.
Founder
Rony Anwar
A strategic operations leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and deep expertise in technology and innovation.
Skilled in streamlining processes, driving scalable growth, and fostering a high-performance culture. Combines operational excellence, strategic planning, and best-practice implementation to ensure seamless execution of Tong’s initiatives. Adept at navigating emerging technologies and industry trends to position Tong at the forefront of innovation and meaningful social connection.
What Tong stands for
Friendship, not dating.
No matches, no likes on people, no scores. A place to make friends, and only that.
Checked, not anonymous.
Everyone you can see has been checked with a live video selfie. That’s why there’s no badge.
Fewer, better hellos.
Three cups a day, because a request should mean something.
Two languages, both first.
Bangla and English, each written for its own readers.
Quiet on purpose.
No ads, no streaks, no follower counts. When you’ve seen everyone nearby, Tong says so.
Say hello
Ideas, questions, or a tong we should know about: write to us, in English or Bangla.
Writing about Tong? The press kit has everything. Press kit