There is no dearth of specialty dating sites and apps. Farmers Only for farmers; JDate for Jews; Sean Hannity even had one for fellow conservatives (and could potentially resurrect it). Now there’s an online dating consulting service that is truly niche. It’s called DateADev, and it’s aimed specifically at the overworked and well-payed techies who run Seattle.
DateADev is a joint venture between Becca Goldman and Mahvish Gazipura, both employees at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters and veterans of the city’s dating scene. They saw how hard it was for their fellow developers to find love, even with a wealth of online daters in the Emerald City, and decided to step in and offer up some tough love on the quest to find it.
DateADev is not a matchmaking service, but more of a resource for local daters who need guidance—and have some disposable income. There’s no database of hot coders and sexy analysts: They work with your Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, etc., profiles and help you navigate what can be an overwhelming landscape.
“We have many friends who are software developers, program or product managers,” Goldman told the Daily Dot in an email. “We have heard from them that it is difficult for them to stand out from the crowd in Seattle due to the dating scene being dominated by men.”
According to Thrillist, two-thirds of Amazon’s workforce is composed of men and that ratio has stunted the dating scene. It’s not just the gender imbalance that creates problems for singles in Goldman and Gazipura’s field: Goldman said many devs are “humble” and “self-conscious about portraying their true interests and personality in their online dating profiles.”
“We have been in the tech dating scene for years and we know what people like us are looking for in a potential love interest.”
This leads to bad matches and wasted time.
“If you are sick of going on horrible dates with people who think HTML is an abbreviation for Hotmail, we can help you figure out why you aren’t attracting quality matches,” the site reads. While this could be discouraging to the less technically minded, Goldman assured that the site is for “anyone, anywhere.”
There are a number of options for joining DateADev: An initial video consultation and dating profile review will cost a one-time $99 fee. Each membership tier offers additional services, and naturally costs additional money. The silver membership, for example, will allow you to interact with coaches eight times per month, have one video consultation, two dating account reviews, and 24/7 support from the coaches. At $259 per month, they say it’s perfect for the “casual dater.”
But if you’re truly struggling in the dating game, perhaps it’s time to go platinum: This package offers basically unlimited amounts of advice. For $599 per month, this one drills down and hones in on finding you the One.
“We don’t have professional experience as dating coaches, and we are not trying to claim that we are experts. However, we have been in the tech dating scene for years and we know what people like us are looking for in a potential love interest,” Goldman said. “We are positioning ourselves (and our service) as the friend you go to for dating advice, except we are willing to tell you the truth, even when it hurts and help you act on the advice we give.”
The business partners just launched on Sunday, but feel confident in their ability to help bring lovers together. While they’re not matchmakers, they’ve already made one successful match: Goldman’s mini Australian Shepherd, Oliver, and Gazipura’s mini Aussie, Yodi, are currently engaged.
H/T Geek Wire | Photo via Courtney Carmody/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)