Julian Pellico: We think that the other dating app developers are antagonistic to their users, intentionally making things more difficult for them and pushing them to pay for “premium” services.

💰 Tell us about yourself?

I grew up in California and lived there until I was 35. I moved to Austin in 2017 to start this company and network with the startup scene there.

💰 Tell us what problem your company solves?

Young and middle-aged adults spend a lot of time using popular dating apps mindlessly. They don’t have a lot of tools to narrow their search. Some apps (Tinder) openly encourage “swipe night” and swipe surges.

Their users, particularly men, are forced by app mechanics to pay for ever-increasing premium subscriptions because there is a self-aggravating disparity of the straight male-female balance: women are harassed, leave the app, and men must get more aggressive and/or pay for premium.

💰 Where do you see your startup going in the next 3 years?

Currently, since 2020 we’ve been growing our user base exclusively in England. We need more money to compete in the United States, which is, of course, our dream. If the stars align perfectly, 3 years might be just enough to make that leap.

💰 What makes your company positioned to deliver on its promises?

Our product has been fully implemented, launched, and tested on both mobile platforms – since January of 2021, in fact.

💰 Who is your founding team? Why are they the best people to run this company?

Julian Pellico, lead, and sole founder, is a software industry expert and started developing mobile apps in 2009. Julian has used dating apps since 2012.

Living in Los Angeles through 2016, he became well aware of how difficult it was to successfully connect with women as a young man using dating apps there.

💰 Who are your main competitors, and why can you beat them?

Keeping in mind that the current market is England, the top competitors there are The Match Group, which owns several apps, Bumble and Badoo.

Twinkle can beat them because our app is friendlier to users. We think that the other dating app developers are antagonistic to their users, intentionally making things more difficult for them and pushing them to pay for “premium” services.

💰 Why are you raising financing?

The founder has utilized over USD$100K to run advertisements to grow the app. He’s basically slashed his personal savings by 80%. He still believes in his vision and is still running Twinkle as his company approaches its sixth birthday.

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