Dating Ring YC Application

Winter 2014Inactive

Dating Ring went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2014 batch as a Consumer company. Below: what the company does, who founded it, and its application to YC, reconstructed question by question in the real YC form.

YC batch: Winter 2014
Industry: ConsumerSocial
Team size: 2
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2013

Founders

Lauren KayFounder/CEO
Kate BambinoFounder/CTO
Emma TesslerFounder/COO

What Dating Ring does

We're a Y Combinator W'14 class. We use matchmakers to set up group dates. What Uber has done for transportation - we're doing for dating. Members can book high quality dates on their schedule with the click of a button. Dating Ring is live in NYC and SF and will be launching next in Boston and LA.

Dating Ring's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Dating Ring, Winter 2014 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Dating Ring

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

In person matchmaking meets group dating

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

We built a product that uses matchmakers to organize group dates, letting members book high quality dates on their own schedule with a click. We handle the logistics and matchmaking so people don't have to swipe endlessly or go on awkward one-on-one dates immediately.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

We live in New York City, and Dating Ring is based in NYC with presence also in San Francisco. Post-YC, we'll continue operating from NYC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We're based where our users are. NYC and SF both have active dating scenes open to group settings, which fits with our matchmaking style. Being local lets us meet participants and curate matches better than a remote service could.

21 more answers in the full application

Founders, Progress, Idea, Equity, Curious, Batch Preference are in the full version. Create a free account to open it in YC Insights, next to every other YC batch.

See full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the real Dating Ring YC application?

No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Dating Ring's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Dating Ring would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.