The online-dating space is rough turf for start-ups: it demands large user bases and is dominated by veterans Match.com eHarmony), and its whole purpose is to help customers stop using a service. (Who needs it once you find love?) But ever since New York City--based OkCupid parlayed a techie gimmick--its special algorithm gives singles a "match percentage" to quantify compatibility--into 4 million users and a $90 million acquisition by Match.com parent InterActiveCorp in early 2011, many new companies have tried to follow suit. Their goals: to improve the ways we already meet and crack an industry whose annual revenue exceeds $1 billion in the U.S. Here we explore some of the most promising players.
SUCCESS!
OKCUPID
LAUNCHED 2004
Algorithm matches singles based on answers to questions both serious ("Do you like to cuddle?") and quirky ("Do you believe in aliens?")
COST: Free, but no-ads "A-list" membership is $9.95 a month
CACHET: 4 million active users; 1 million log-ins per day; bought by Match.com's parent company for $90 million
HOW ABOUT WE
LAUNCHED APRIL 2010
Singles pick each other according to what they've publicly described as ideal first-date activities
COST: Subscriptions start at $8 per month
CACHET: 1.6 million dates posted; nearly 1 million members; raised $18.5 million in venture capital; official dating partner for New York and Parenting magazines and AARP
VIDEO DATE
LAUNCHED DEC. 2012
Matches users by interests and then sets up a video chat before they meet face to face
COST: Free with ads
CACHET: 20,000 members; 12,500 likes on Facebook; more than 114,000 Twitter followers
GROUPER
LAUNCHED JULY 2011
Matches two groups of three friends, with some singles mixed in
COST: $20 per person covers matching and one free drink at a Grouper-selected bar
CACHET: Facilitated 10,000 meet-ups; part of the Y Combinator start-up-accelerator network; partnered with car service Uber in January
BLENDR
LAUNCHED SEPT. 2011
Singles are matched in real time based on GPS proximity
COST: Free with ads
CACHET: Recently partnered with social network Badoo, which has more than 170 million users
COFFEE MEETS BAGEL
LAUNCHED APRIL 2012
Singles get one match per day at noon and choose whether to "like" or "pass"
COST: Free, but users may buy "coffee beans" to unlock more info about matches, like mutual Facebook friends
CACHET: More than 500,000 introductions; $600,000 in funding; partnering with Starbucks in 2013