SpeedDate.com is a speed dating website started by two Stanford graduates, Simon Tisminezky and Dan Abelon after an entrepreneurship class at

Stanford Business School The Stanford Graduate School of Business (also known as Stanford GSB) is the graduate business school of Stanford University, a private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective business schoo ...

co-taught by

Eric Schmidt Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and software engineer known for being the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, executive chairman of Google from 2011 to 2015, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. from 2015 to 2 ...

History

Originally a Stanford University business class project, Speeddate.com combines online dating and round robin-style speed dating, where singles spend five minutes or less connecting live with potential matches. The domain was acquired in 2007 and since its launch in late 2007, SpeedDate.com has hosted over 60 million online speed dates.SpeedDate Scores $6 Million For Matchmaking In A Hurry , TechCrunch
/ref> Within an hour, users meet up to 15 people using live video and instant messaging. Each date lasts three minutes, after which users can continue the conversation or chat with someone else. SpeedDate secured U.S. Patent Number 7,203,674 covering key aspects of online speed dating.

Applications

SpeedDate.com has applications on iPhone,

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operati ...

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

, MySpace,

Bebo Bebo ( ) was an American social networking website that originally operated from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2013 and relaunched in February 2021. The site relaunched several times after its bankruptcy with a number of short-lived offerings, ...

and

Meebo Meebo (often stylized as meebo) was an instant messaging and social networking service provider. It was founded in September 2005 by Sandy Jen, Seth Sternberg, and Elaine Wherry, and was based in Mountain View, California. Initially the company o ...

.SpeedDate.com surpasses 1M mobile downloads - Mobile Marketer - Database/CRM
/ref> Like many

online dating Online dating, also known as Internet dating, Virtual dating, or Mobile app dating, is a relatively recent method used by people with a goal of searching for and interacting with potential romantic or sexual partners, via the internet. An onlin ...

sites, SpeedDate.com is a

freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical ...

service and its revenue comes from premium subscriptions.

Reception

After SpeedDate secured $6 million in

Series B A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the ...

financing from

Menlo Ventures Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California with an additional office in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded as one of the earliest venture capital firms in Silicon Valley in 1976 and provides technology ...

, Jason Kincaid at TechCrunch reported: "Unlike most dating sites, there was no lengthy signup process – the site leaves the real matchmaking to your video chats. And while SpeedDate seemed to totally ignore the interests and personality traits I entered anyway, the experience was still surprisingly fun. I typically only had to wait a few minutes between each session, and girls I spoke to during my “dates” told me that their general experience on the site had been quite positive."

References

{{Reflist
Startup to launch online speed-dating service
NBC News.com
Does This Webcam Make Me Look Fat?
New York Times, Oct 5 2007 *

The Huffington Post, Feb 6 2008

LA Times, Feb 12 2008 *
SpeedDate is Just That. With Webcams.
Mashable, Oct 29 2007
SpeedDate Hijacks Facebook Users With A Bait And Switch
TechCrunch, September 12, 2008

CNet, October 23, 2008

External links

SpeedDate.com

Zawaj
Internet properties established in 2007 Online dating services of the United States 2007 establishments in California