Meet the two healthcare professionals on a mission to cure the ailing online dating industry.
Launching a startup is no easy task, and the cruel reality is that nearly 90% of them fail. Even 75% of venture-backed companies ultimately end up closing up shop, and two out of every ten don’t make it beyond year one. Now in its third year and just hitting its stride, double dating app, Fourplay, is quickly becoming a household name in the New York City dating scene. Add in the fact that its co-founders began with no business experience at all, and it makes their story that much more inspiring. We sat down with Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek, two medical professionals turned Fourplay co-founders to learn more about their entrepreneurial adventure.
CEO Medium: Thanks for sitting down to share your story. So tell our readers what exactly is Fourplay and how it works.
Danielle Dietzek: Thanks so much for having us! Fourplay is a double dating app that creates more fun, more social, and safer ways for singles to socialize. We enable our users to team up with a friend, create a shared dating profile, and then match, group chat – with an option to group video chat coming soon – and double date with other pairs of singles.
CEO Medium: So how do two healthcare professionals become dating app entrepreneurs?
Julie Griggs: In truth, it was never our intention to start a business. It was really something that just started out as an idea for Danielle and me to do as a way of shaking things up with the same boring New York City dating scene. One day we decided to create a shared dating profile on one of the apps just for fun and wrote, “Swipe right if you and your awesome friend want to double date me and my awesome friend.” The “aha moment” really came afterward because the responses we received were so overwhelmingly positive. People actually asked us to make this app, so that’s what we did.
CEO Medium: What is the most unique challenge currently on your plate?
DD: It’s a great question, and to be honest there really is no shortage of unique ones we’re dealing with on a daily basis. That said, if I had to narrow it down to one I would say user acquisition, which we’ve learned is definitely not one-size-fits-all. Since dating apps require user-dense geographic locations in order to be able to offer a compelling experience, it requires us to build out one city and one target audience at a time. So unlike a gaming app, for example, whose users can be anywhere, we can’t just spread the word about Fourplay everywhere and collect downloads all over the world. We really need to be strategic about it. That means focusing on one city and one demographic at a time. In our case, the New York City metro area and their GenZennial singles population.
CEO Medium: Based on your personal experiences, what is one piece of unconventional advice you would offer other first-time founders just starting out?
JG: Don’t be afraid to humanize yourself with your users, customers, fans, whatever. Both Danielle and I are proud mental health advocates who speak openly about our personal struggles with anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and physical illness, on Fourplay’s social media channels. As a result, our users and followers contact us on a weekly basis thanking us for speaking so candidly and empowering them to change their mindset and approach when it comes to being single and dating. I’m not saying that letting the world completely behind the curtain is the right thing for every company, but giving your brand an authentic human voice that your customers can relate to, in even the smallest way, can really serve you well.
CEO Medium: So, how can people get started on Fourplay?
JG: Fourplay is currently available in both the App and Google Play stores, so if you’re in the New York metro area you can download it and join now totally free.
DD: Our waitlists for every city are also growing by the day too, so if you want Fourplay to launch in your city next, be sure to sign up on our waitlist at fourplaysocial.com
Get in touch with Fourplay:
Email Address: info@fourplaysocial.com Website: www.fourplaysocial.com Instagram: @fourplaysocial
TikTok: @fourplay_datingapp
Facebook: facebook.com/fourplaysocial