One of my favorite Podcasts is StartUp which talks about what it’s like to get a business off the ground. The second season recently started and I was so happy when I heard the business was not only headed by 2 women in their 20s, but it’s also a dating company! The company is called Dating Ring and it’s already up and running. What makes it different is that unlike Tinder or OKCupid you are not scrolling or swiping through an endless sea of choices, you are only given 1 match per week. The other big difference is instead of being matched by an algorithm like they do on OKCupid, Dating Ring uses real life human matchmakers. The matchmakers comb through the extensive database and recommend 1 top match per week. You are then texted a link to a brief profile and pictures of that person on a special phone number that allows you to set up a date without giving out your personal number. I also love that the number expires in 7 days so it’s only supposed to be used to set up a real date not for people who want to be pen pals and never actually meet up! This whole system also cuts down on the time you do searching or browsing online for dates. It cuts out all the annoying time wasters who want to wish you a Happy Hump Day! Dating Ring has you actually meeting up and on dates to figure out if there is real chemistry.
You can sign up for Dating Ring for free, but they also have 2 paid levels of membership. The first is $80/month for 3 months and that includes 1 matchmaker-curated match each week (free subscriptions only make you eligible for matches with paying members, but matches are not guaranteed). If you get the free membership you can send your friends a free match and earn one for yourself for every two friends you refer. You also get a $25 credit to your account for every friend you refer. I asked Dating Ring for a personalized referral link so that I could put it on the blog and earn some more matches for myself and they gave me an awesome coupon code: blushing60 which will get users $60 off of a paid plan!
The second paid membership is a Premium (and at $800+/month they mean Premium) Membership. For this one you are assigned a full-time Executive Matchmaker who will meet with you in person for a 60-minute consultation, conduct in-depth phone screenings with potential matches, and handle the logistics and scheduling for each date including personally choosing the venue. The Executive Matchmaker then has scheduled follow-up consultations with you after each date and they provide you with date and relationship coaching. I think this really is key because in the land of dating you don’t get a whole lot of feedback. A lot of the times when people don’t want to see you again they just never talk to you again and you have no clue what you did wrong and could improve on (or if it had nothing at all to do with you). This membership is recommended for successful professionals who are pressed for time and are looking to enter into a serious relationship. And think about it, this is someone you could potentially be matched with. These are people that are paying a lot of money because they are serious about finding a real long term relationship, a partner and love!
If you get a paid membership you will receive your first match the Sunday after you sign up. Again, if you are a free member matches are not guaranteed, but if they do find one for you it will also come on a Sunday. I signed up for the free membership and got a match my first Sunday. Dating Ring is currently in NYC and SF/the Bay Area where they have in-person matchmakers and in LA and Boston they do matchmaking through phone consultations. I have set up my 15 minute phone consultation appointment for a few weeks from now and will let you know what it’s like and how it goes!
One more thing I love about Dating Ring is I feel like it adds in some much needed accountability to online dating. If a date left me at the bar, I could message the matchmaker (even with a free membership) immediately and let them know what happened. There’s no getting away with being shitty or being a liar which is fantastic. Be sure to sign up for StartUp Podcast as well!
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