Dating apps have transformed modern romance, offering convenience and efficiency in connecting potential partners. However, they come with challenges such as ghosting, misrepresentation, choice overload, and time consumption. Many of these issues can be mitigated by prioritizing in-person meetings. First Round’s on Me (FROM) is a social dating app that emphasizes face-to-face connections. The app, launched in 2020, does this by allowing users to invite potential romantic interests for a date at a designated time and place as the first point of interaction. Once a date invite is accepted, users can chat 24 hours before the date, reducing the possibility of endless back-and-forth messaging prior to meeting. The company also hosts social gatherings for those seeking offline dating opportunities. FROM operates on a freemium model, offering basic features for free with paid subscription options for enhanced functionality. Additional revenue streams include event hosting and content partnerships.
LA TechWatch caught up with First Round’s on Me Cofounder and CEO Joe Feminella to learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding, which brings the company’s total funding raised to $5M, and much, much more…
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
Seed $3M.
Tell us about your product or service.
First Round’s On Me (FROM) is a revolutionary social dating app designed to foster genuine, in-person connections. Launched in 2020, First Round’s On Me has maintained year-over-year growth, hosting over 150,000 dating hopefuls drawn to its unique approach of facilitating meaningful, face-to-face interactions; putting a forward-thinking twist on traditional dating apps by bringing human interaction to the forefront.
What inspired the start of First Round’s on Me?
We found that today’s dating apps often leave users feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. My wife, Hannah Feminella, and I wanted to reinvent how technology can foster genuine human connections. There needed to be a new way to empower people to meet in real life and get out of this stagnant digital dating world. That is why we decided to create this social and dating platform to encourage face-to-face dating.
How is it different?
First Round’s On Me differs from traditional dating platforms because it is built to plan dates in real life, rather than begin a relationship on the phone first. FROM allows users to send date invites and aids users in planning dates directly within the app, including meet-up location, timing of dates, and type of date ranging from coffees at your favorite local shop to cocktails at your favorite bar or lounge. Once a date has been mutually agreed upon, the chat feature opens 24 hours before the meeting time, allowing users to create a baseline conversation and get more familiar with each other without experiencing “app burnout” or running out of things to talk about in person. FROM’s other unique features include limiting users to one date per day, planning logistics of the date all within the app’s user-friendly interface, and no matching algorithms. FROM also incorporates several security features, including user verification, SOS text capability, emergency contacts, and location sharing for dates. Additionally, FROM has organized over 50 in-person events, providing users with opportunities to meet in social settings and form potential relationships beyond the digital landscape. Hosting in-person events and activations throughout the country each month is another distinct difference from traditional dating apps whose goals are to keep you on your phones rather than in the real world.
What market you are targeting and how big is it?
The current dating app pool has a total addressable market exceeding $10B globally and over 400 million users worldwide.
What’s your business model?
Subscriptions revenue, event ticket revenue, content revenue. Retention through a great community.
How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
We have funding for the next year and a half, so our goal is to show steady growth, even if it is incremental. I also believe, that even through an economic slowdown, people will still look to connect on our platform and through our events.
What was the funding process like?
It was fairly easy since I have been with the same Family Office for 3 years now. There is a lot of trust, communication, and belief in what we are doing.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
Trying to make sure we did everything the right way, to protect the company. And to make sure I had enough capital to fully execute my plan.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
The people who are part of the company, the mission we are trying to solve, and the amount of growth/progress we achieved.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
Our goal is to get over 400,000 users and to have 50,000 MAU. We would also like to see our events start to scale.
What advice can you offer companies in Los Angeles that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
To keep going, if you stay alive and show determination someone will want to invest in you. Just make sure that you are fully committed to your mission and that you have a plan of attack.
Where do you see the company going in the near term?
I see the company going from a nice little startup to a real player in the social app industry. Our goal is to elevate everything we do and help our community build.
What’s your favorite outdoor activity in LA?
Hiking!
