HUFFINGTON POST – Feb 24 – Vana Koutsomitis released her dating app DatePlay on Valentine's Day in the App Store. "It was absolutely terrifying. There was still so much to fix", she says. The team sat down with one of their mentors and told him about all their issues. They were considering postponing the launch yet again. He said: "Just get on with it and release the app! It is never going to be perfect." One of the biggest issues that early stage startups phase is running out of cash before gaining traction. Each delay that you have is costly and the more time you spend working on the app, the more money you spend. Pull the trigger and launch your product! Even if it's not completely ready.
Category: DatePlay
DatePlay Officially Launches This Valentine’s Day
BDAILY.CO.UK – Feb 13 – UK Apprentice runner-up and entrepreneur, Vana Koutsomitis, is launching her DatePlay dating app this Valentine's Day in the wake of last year's wildly successful crowdfunding campaign. Her DatePlay is matching users based on their answers to hundreds of Buzzfeed-style quiz questions. The app raised £210k crowdfunding on Seedrs last summer, smashing through its initial target of £120k.
DatePlay Raises £200k And Gets Accepted Into Mass Challenge Accelerator
CROWDFUNDINSIDER – Aug 26 – Vana Koutsomitis' dating app, DatePlay, has surpassed £200k in funds on Seedrs. "The Apprentice" runner-up launched the campaign on the funding portal last month to raise £120k. The app is currently in the final stages of production and is set to launch in beta this fall. DatePlay has also been accepted to Mass Challenge, a world-renowned startup accelerator program. The program takes 0% equity in the company and helps foster its growth.
by Samantha Hurst
See full article at CrowdFundInsider
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
Vana Koutsomitis Raised £120k In Just 3 Days For Her DatePlay App
UK BUSINESS INSIDER – July 22 – Vana Koutsomitis, a runner-up on TV show "The Apprentice," has already smashed her £120k crowdfunding target on Seedrs for dating app DatePlay. The one-month campaign went live on Tuesday and had received £150,020 in pledges from 110 investors by Friday. The company said it will stop accepting pledges once it reaches £300k.
by Sam Shead
See full article at Business Insider UK
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
DatePlay Dating App Wants To Raise £120K
UK BUSINESS INSIDER – July 19 – Vana Koutsomitis, a runner-up on TV show "The Apprentice," is looking to raise £120K for DatePlay, her dating app that she pitched to Lord Sugar in the final of the BBC show. DatePlay will use interactive games to try and understand users personality before recommending matches for them to swipe left or right. The app is currently under development and the money will be used for marketing purposes. She's already raised £75K of the £120K target from a number of private investors.
by Sam Shead
See full article at Business Insider UK
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
New Dating Apps That Want To Take On Tinder
BBC.COM – Feb 14 – Combining match-making with games and quizzes, DatePlay is designed to generate meaningful matches. Behind the app is entrepreneur Vana Koutsomitis, who first pitched her idea on the BBC television series The Apprentice. She did not win Lord Sugar's investment – he judged the project too risky – but she has continued work on her app. Hanky is another new dating app. It lets existing members decide whether new joiners should be allowed in. The app, for men only, launched in January and has since attracted 85K members.
by Chris Foxx
See full article at BBC
