Monday, July 14, 2014

Whim Takes On Instant, Mobile Dating

A new, Los Angeles startup, Whim, has recently launched, looking to cut the time between mobile contact and a real date--saying that its app make it possible for users to find a person, and get a date the same day. The startup--one of dozens looking to hook into the popularity of such mobile dating apps as Tinder--says it wants to reduce the time waiting and planning dates, filtering and messaging other users, and to increase the frequency and ease of getting a date. The startup--led by Eve Peters (OKCupid, Crashpad); Todd Blose (Lantern.io, HTML Fusion); and Katherine Nilan (SendUs, CitizenGlobal)--focuses on users checking in for a same-evening date by 4pm, and choosing one of three matches for a near-instant date. According to Nilan, the mobile dating app startup is also different from others, in that two thirds of the startups' founders are female. Whim's app currently works on the mobile web, and the startup said it will soon be releasing an iOS native version.

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