The human need for connection, intimacy and belonging is as strong as it was when the first technological advances included fire and the wheel.
It hasn’t changed – it has just gone online, in one form or another.
Valentine’s Day is this week, and a good time to shine the spotlight on some New York startups focused on bringing people together, keeping the romance alive and/or helping us navigate those sometimes tricky waters that will hopefully lead us to true love. Or something like it.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 10 NYC STARTUPS THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND LOVE
HeTexted
Love is a ritual where it seems that no one really knows what the heck is going on. For women, there’s HeTexted, is where you’ll get to decode the sometimes nebulous process known as courtship with the help of advisors and regular lay people who know a thing or two about love and dating – and certainly more than your hapless friends who are in the same boat as you.
Ode a la Rose
If last year’s 1-800-Flowers customer service/PR disaster in which many customers received wilted flowers – if and when they showed up at all – has lovers scrambling for an alternative Ode a la Rose might be the answer. The company delivers roses in an anti-spill water-filled vase, and even the box is attractive. Of course there’s an app – and it allows you to send a personalized message in the form of a video, a photo or voice meme.
In case you missed it, Ode a la Rose sells only roses.
Hinge
There’s only so many pics of strangers with no shirts on a person looking to get into a relationship can bear. Even in the age of dating apps, nearly 20% of singles meet their spouses through friends. Hinge is the startup that has received a little over $20 million to turn your friends into matchmakers by uncovering love prospects through your Facebook friends. Hinge provides personalized introductions, detailed suggestions for first meetings and – not to worry – there is a solid privacy clause as well.
Mesh
There are people looking for love and those looking for a physical connection. There’s nothing wrong with looking for the latter, but tactless men can create that many-more-frogs-to-kiss or, in this case, block. Mesh is a Brooklyn-based dating app that swears that its patented message filtering system will keep the creeps away and prevent sleazy request from going through.
Gotta love those guys in Brooklyn!
You can also play matchmaker and send profiles you think your hapless single friends will enjoy.
How About We/How About We Couples
One of the earliest startups to set up base across the bridge in DUMBO, How About We, launched in 2010, is one of the more mature startups in terms of growth and development. They were acquired by the corporate giant of dating –the same owners as Tinder, OkCupid, and Match.com – IAC.
It’s a dating site where people find each other online, then the singles suggest date ideas by finishing the phrase “How about we…,” Yeah, you get it.
There’s also a How About We Couples version that suggests activities and date nights to keep the love alive and the romance going strong.
Dating Ring
With Dating Ring, there are no algorithms there to find your perfect match. Nope, they do it the old-fashioned way, with real matchmakers to help you find your Significant Other, although it is done online. The Y-Combinator alums are most famous for their crowdfunder that raised $10,000 to fly 747 women cross-country to San Francisco to meet eligible bachelors. They did successfully raise the month – but we don’t know how many lasting hookups came out of the exercise. But if you’re looking for a modern day Yenta who’ll do all the work to find your next Prince Charming, here you go. The company has recently launched several parties to celebrate opening in new (meet) markets across the country.
Cheekd
If the name is familiar, congrats: you’re a “Shark Tank” fan. Cheekd founder Lori Cheek went on the show with her idea for an app to eliminate missed connections using technology. Using Bluetooth, the app notifies users if a compatible potential suitor is around. While failed to secure any funding from any of the five Sharks, she is launching a new version the mobile app this Saturday. Just in time for Valentine’s Day because passionate entrepreneurs never give up on love – or their startups.
OkCupid
Granddaddy of dating sites OKCupid was acquired by Match.com (for $50M), which was acquired by IAC. Must be a reason why they’re still around and call themselves “the best free dating site on Earth!”, OkCupid is one of the originals of online dating sites and boasts 30 million users. They use questions and users’ answers to suss out best matches for them.
Glimpse
While OkCupid unleashes a sea of questions on you to find the perfect match. Glimpse believes that a picture is literally worth a thousand words and uses your Instagram feed to net your one true love – or maybe just a decent date at Eataly. The premise behind using Instagram as the crux to finding a mate is that creative people will be attracted to creative people. Glimpse works best for active Instagram users. If you like their Instagram, you wink at them. If that person has the good sense to like you back, only then will the two of you be able to message each other.
SCRUFF
SCRUFF is the dating/hookup app for gay, bi and/or trans men. With seven million users, the app is the East Coast version of Grindr. The app claims to send 50 million messages every week and that’s a lot of love in the air. So to speak.
