Australian startup Friends for Hire lets friendless people hire other people to be their friend. The service is about to launch on March 22, according to iT Wire

Co-founder Josh Blundell described the site to Business Insider: "It's definitely not a dating website. It's for people who are lonely, without the expectation that things will move beyond a platonic friendship. If anyone was found to be outside the terms of service, we would remove them from the site."

According to Business Insider, potential clients can sign up on the website as a "member" who will pay $5 a week to gain a friend, or as a "friend" who could charge an hourly fee of $60 for their services, the report detailed.

Based on the Friends for Hire website, a member can hire a friend as a companion to various activities except those that involve intimate physical contact. The activities recommended include but are not limited to sporting events, workouts, parties, movie watching, language tutoring, clubbing, camping, cooking, according to Friends for Hire.