With numerous online dating sites using algorithms to match you up with a date, a Chicago-based startup is bringing a human element to digital matchmaking process.
Project Fixup launched in 2012 and was part of the inaugural TechStars Chicago class last year. The company at first seems similar to other dating sites by asking about your interests, your dislikes, and a bit about your personality. But instead of leaving the matchmaking up to a computer, your information is received by a real human who analyzes your profile and pairs you up with what he or she deems is a suitable mate. Users updates their schedule with times they are free, and the fixup specialist chooses the time and place the date will take place.
If all the details look good and both parties confirm the date, the dater is charged a fee, which starts at $20. And Project Fixup says that if you have a bad date, they'll give you your money back.
"Just show up at the right place and time to discover somewhere fun - from your city's best craft beer bars to their most underrated taco joints - with someone new," Project Fixup says in its website. "Each week, you can have a different unique experience with an interesting person. Trust us, it’s a much better way to spend your free time than in front of your computer screen."
Unlike Match.com, eHarmony and other dating sites, there are no public profiles to click through, back and forth messages, or hours of searching for the right person. Project Fixup will literally do all the work for you. Just show up and don't get food all over your face.
The beta test of Project Fixup had more than 2,000 Chicago members, and out of beta the company is launching in San Francisco this week, according to Techcrunch.
