Philippine dating startup Peekawoo has come a long way. Most people hadn’t even heard of the company a year ago. Today, Peekawoo has grown its user base to thousands, launched an iOS app, raised funds from three investors, while features on BBC and Google have created international buzz around it.
Getting to this point is something Peekawoo founder Valenice Balace never expected. “Just a year ago I was sitting behind a desk, had a nine-to-five job. Now here I am, keeping the company intact. Getting that many users is a big surprise. Being interviewed around the world is mind-blowing. I still can’t believe it.”
It’s surprising indeed since Peekawoo swims defiantly against a tide of popular dating apps for straight people – like Tinder and Skout – that are mostly about hookups.
Instead, Peekawoo caters to young women who still want to take a traditional but fun approach to dating.
A dating app made for women
The Peekawoo team knows its target market enough because, well, it’s them. Except for their CTO, who’s a guy, the team is comprised of eight girls in their early to mid-20s.
Prior to creating Peekawoo, Balace and her co-founder and friend, Mara Ang, had gone through the usual options for dating. They went to nightspots and clubs, but met no one. They tried traditional dating sites, but found many users to be serious relationship-seekers who were looking for marriage like ticking time bombs. Finally, they tried location-based dating apps, which were disappointments as they were filled with men just looking for sex.
“I met someone in one app and he wanted to go to my house instantly. It super freaked me out,” Balace recalls.
She says most dating apps nowadays are made by men, and are shaped by how men want things to be. Many of them act like a “catalogue” of women. On these sites and apps, women often find themselves deluged with inappropriate and sexually suggestive messages. They lack what women like Balace and Ang need: a bit of privacy, control, and a safe path to offline meetups. In other words – a friendly, wholesome environment that doesn’t pressure a woman to do things she’s not ready for.
Launched in September 2013, Peekawoo is staying out of the location-based game. It filters possible matches for you based on your basic info when you sign in, but there’s still an option to type in your preferences. It requires you to get at least three out of five “would you rather” questions right before you can chat with a person.
Peekawoo is also making a difference in offline dating by hosting friendly get-togethers for its members.
While challenging, this counter-trend strategy is proving to be working for the company.
Peekawoo signed up 25,000 users on its beta site with very little marketing. It is now migrating its users to its app and is working to add more app features, including sticker offerings and subscriptions for unlimited matching. It expects to start earning first thing in January.
Balace says Peekawoo has leveraged on being a women-dominated team. “We’re coming into this business with that in our back pocket. We know our customers because we are them and we know how dating is like for Asian girls who are traditional and conservative. There’s a sense of emotional responsibility. That’s one thing we have that the others don’t.”
The Peekawoo team, from L-R: Riva Galveztan, Giselle Banzon, Valenice Balace (center), Mara Ang, Kryz Cuerdo with their CTO Kevin Bennett (center above Balace).
The advent of online dating
While it’s hard to compete with the other popular dating apps, Balace says she has them to thank in part for Peekawoo’s progress.
“Believe it or not, other apps like Tinder are helping us grow. It’s actually because of them that people are opening up to the concept of online dating. The stigma’s gone.”
Balace says online dating in the Philippines and the region is “growing” and the crowd is getting younger and more diverse.
“It used to be for people who want to get married and are much older. Now, younger people who want to meet other people are also into it.” She notes this is precisely the reason why safeguards have to be put in place.
Challenges of being an entrep
Peekawoo’s journey is surely an inspiration to others, but it wasn’t easy.
Competition aside, Balace says she and her team faced a lot of other challenges, especially in the beginning.
Transitioning from employee to entrepreneur overnight was one. “I had no idea how to start or run a business – hiring, maximizing my employees’ time, resource allocation, customer acquisition, getting partners, and convincing investors.”
Balace says there are still moments she has no idea what she’s doing. However, she’s fortunate that Peekawoo’s investors double up as mentors to guide the young team along. “They know you, they support what you’re doing, and they have all the good intentions. It’s what kept me focused and running.”
If the story of Peekawoo and its founders can tell us anything, it’s that you don’t have to give in to the pressure of what your competitors – and in their case, people their age – are doing. Try something new, set yourself apart, and you just might be surprised where it’ll take you.
See: Electricity is more expensive in the Philippines than in Japan. Here’s a way to lower those bills
This post Dating apps don’t all have to be about hookups. Peekawoo is proof of that appeared first on Tech in Asia.
Dating apps don’t all have to be about hookups. Peekawoo is proof of that
No comments:
Post a Comment