Monday, February 11, 2013
Four Local Startups Who Are Helping You Find Romance For Valentine's Day
Looking to find some romance this valentine's day? Everyone knows that Southern California is already home to quite a few online dating sites, like eHarmony, but how about startups? Just ahead of Valentine's Day, here are four local, Southern California startups who are focused on matching you up with your potential romantic partner.
1. Let's Date
Let's Date, the latest startup out of startup studio Science Inc., thinks it's got your number with its iPhone app--which uses your votes, up and down, on dates, to match you up with other singles. The startup--headed by startup vet Sean Suhl (SuicideGirls)--is using algorithms and your experience on dates to figure out who to better match you up with on your iPhone. The firm said it uses your likes and dislikes to better match you up with a date, plus even connects you with possible local restaurants, bars, and other locations to meet.
2. Tinder
Tinder, created by startup vets Sean Rad (Ad.ly) and Justin Mateen, uses your iPhone and data from your Facebook profile to help match you with potential candidates for dating. The app uses your social graph and friends, common interests, and geographic location to help you find your date. The app is entirely anonymous until you agree to a date, and also uses those Facebook apps to weed out all those fake online dating profiles.
Hate those awkward, uncomfortable dates where you end up spending forever at dinner with someone you really just don't dig? DinnerDate.com is looking to end that forever, by automating the process of going on group dates to restaurants. The San Diego startup puts together tables of ten single people around a table at a local restaurant, in hopes that you'll connect with someone in that group. The site helps you get past all the online posturing, improves your odds of connecting with multiple people, and also gets you to a great restaurant, at the same time.
Three Day Rule founded by Val Brennan and Talia Goldstein, has a unique play on dating as a startup--the company has debuted as an invite only dating club, available via subscription, focused on local events and activities, with eventual plans to expand online. The startup is targeting professionals with its invite-only service, which it bills "eHarmony meets Gilt", and says it only allows in "A-list singles". The goal: avoid the thousands and thousands of singles on traditional dating sites.
Did we miss your favorite local dating themed startup? Comment below!
Image courtesy BigStock