Dating App
Real-Time Dating App
A founder came to us with an idea for a dating app that works in real time — users activate it, see people nearby within a small radius, and can immediately connect and meet in person.
Growth came through QR codes at nightclub entrances — in loud, crowded venues, the app became a practical alternative to cold approaches.
Timeline
7 weeks
Project Type
Mobile app (iOS & Android)
Tech Stack
Expo, Supabase
Budget
$11,000
Why we took this project?
MVP velocity, retention, and a concrete answer to "where do users come from?"
Real-time location-based social apps are technically complex but create a unique user experience that standard dating apps can't replicate. The Istanbul nightlife market was a perfect testing ground.
- 1Founders with realistic goals and a startup playbook: ship MVP fast, measure, iterate
- 2Distribution was already solved — venue partnerships and QR-based installs with revenue share
- 3The app addresses a sharp pain: on a noisy night out, knowing who's actually open to meeting right now
The Task
Build a mobile app where users activate a live mode, instantly see people nearby on a map, send connection requests, chat briefly, and meet in person — all within minutes.
- —Ship a polished cross-platform MVP with retention-minded UX and store releases
- —Monetize through premium subscriptions — wider discovery radius, unlimited chats, and friction removed from the core "live" loop
Key Decisions & Features
Live Radius Mode
Users activate the app and immediately appear on a live map for others nearby. The radius is intentionally small to ensure only genuinely close people are shown.
Connection Requests & Quick Chat
Send a connection request with a short intro. If accepted, a time-limited chat opens — just enough to say hi and agree to meet, keeping the focus on real-world interaction.
Privacy Controls
Users control exactly when they're visible. The app is off by default — you only appear on the map when you actively choose to. No passive tracking.
QR-Based Venue Onboarding
Partnered with Istanbul nightclubs to place QR codes at entrances. Scanning opens the app directly in live mode for that venue — zero friction onboarding.
Results
More than a feed of profiles — a venue-native loop where density, timing, and subscription revenue compound together.
2%
QR → install
Typical scan-to-download rate from venue QR codes
~15%
Install → subscription
Premium conversion among installs (launch cohort)
~3 / 1k
Venue funnel
Rough paid subs per ~1k venue visits when the funnel stacks (2% × 15%)
~$5+
Monetization
Premium subscriptions — wider radius, hunt mode without cooldowns, unlimited chats
- Rollout focused on dense nightlife corridors so the live map stayed useful — users saw real people, not an empty radius.
- Istanbul's nightclub foot traffic meant QR-led acquisition could compound: installs came from the venue context, not cold performance ads.
- Premium subscriptions started around $5 — small ARPU per user, but paid traffic from venues scales with footfall instead of ad spend.