By: Matthew Kayser

Loneliness is rising, and many modern spaces mirror patterns of exclusion. Creating environments of true belonging is essential in this context. However, besides noble intentions, it demands structure, vision, and lived insight. Mercy Favrow brings all three. She has combined her personal experiences and a decade spent navigating grassroots and corporate spaces to build Nido. 

Growing up in a region where laws and social norms typically stifle self-expression, Favrow, a queer Latina, has made it her mission to create environments that welcome those usually left out. “I know what it feels like to live under the fear of scrutiny. That takes up space in your mind and life,” she shares. This personal and systemic experience motivated her to create spaces that restore the soul of community, and where others don’t have to look over their shoulders.

Favrow’s entrepreneurial spirit has propelled her to act on her newfound mission. Her family boasts a legacy of resilience and leadership. From an immigrant farm worker, her grandfather eventually became an influential advocate for Latinx entrepreneurs, even founding the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Favrow’s grandmother ran a restaurant while raising five children. “It was the women who built the home. They did the emotional labor that allowed the men to go out and do their work. That kind of unseen support is where I come from,” she shares. 

Inspired to make an impact, Favrow moved from Missouri to the San Francisco Bay Area,  hungry to understand how communities are built from the ground up. She dropped out of college and worked at a global workplace provider. There, she discovered where her expertise lay. She steadily advanced within the company. During a challenging period marked by the company’s IPO setbacks and significant leadership changes, she played a supportive role alongside the CTO.

Favrow later continued honing her understanding of corporate infrastructure, user experience, and organizational psychology at a prominent social media company. “I wanted to learn everything about how companies scale, and how they make people feel safe or unsafe within them,” she says. Every job move and project was in service of one larger goal, which was to build Nido.

Nido was the culmination of four years of focused study on what makes social clubs effective, healing, and inclusive. It became a community-building system that bridges hospitality and lifestyle. Favrow has explored the nuances of community building, speaking to numerous people about their needs, desires, and fears. With this, she was able to design Nido to reduce stress and increase connection, from friction points like parking to subtler details like event flow and lighting.

“Many people think social clubs are just about hanging out, but they have always driven economic power, political influence, and emotional support. I want to democratize those benefits,” Favrow states. 

The founder emphasizes that Nido is a response to a cultural and public health crisis. It’s been reported that poor social connections, including small networks, infrequent interactions, and loneliness, are associated with cognitive decline. Loneliness itself is said to be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes daily. Favrow saw this data as an alarming statistic that requires a call to action. “Our friend time has shrunk, and it’s killing us,” she says. “We need spaces where we can put our differences aside, share a meal, and feel human again.”

Favrow often reflects on how much untapped brilliance is lost to insecurity and how much time marginalized individuals spend regulating themselves instead of contributing to the world around them. Nido is her answer to that loss. It’s meant to return agency, belonging, and joy to people who’ve worked to belong in systems never built for them.

To bring this vision to life, Nido operates as both a virtual and in-person community. The space itself is designed with intention and warmth, drawing from Favrow’s background in hospitality, retail, and event production. Before her corporate career, she worked on experiences for global brands in aviation, wellness, and design. All these honed her instinct for how environments and services shape emotional experience. Therefore, Nido’s events are crafted to feel simultaneously elevated and accessible. 

For example, something as simple as a wreath-making class can become a portal into local ecology, artisan practices, land stewardship, and creative expression. Members forage for materials, learn about regional plants, and hear stories about the people protecting those ecosystems. Every gathering serves multiple purposes. It’s educational, social, cultural, and restorative.

With Nido, Mercy Favrow has helped shape a space and a thoughtful approach aimed at fostering comfort, personal agency, and a sense of shared growth. She states: “If people didn’t have to spend so much time hiding who they are, worrying about their background, their clothes, their accent, imagine what they could do with all that energy. Imagine if we could invest that time into ourselves, our passions & our communities. That’s what Nido is about.”