A Stanford grad student created an algorithm to help his classmates find love; now, Date Drop is the basis of his new startup | TechCrunch

"As Valentine's Day approaches at Stanford, some students may be gearing up for first dates - not with people they met on Tinder or Hinge, but with matches from a service called Date Drop, designed by Stanford graduate student Henry Weng. Date Drop pairs students with potential dates once per week based on their responses to a questionnaire. A Stanford whiz kid is trying to disrupt an established industry from his Palo Alto dorm? Stop me if you've heard this one before!"

"But young adults are deeply disillusioned with the frustrating, demoralizing state of online dating. Why not try something different? Over 5,000 students at Stanford have given Date Drop a try since its launch in the fall. It has also rolled out at 10 more schools, including MIT, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania, and Weng says he wants to roll out Date Drop more broadly in some cities this summer."

""Our matches convert to actual dates at about 10x the rate of Tinder," Weng told TechCrunch. "Instead of swiping, we get to know each person deeply and send them one compatible match per week." At first, Weng didn't intend to turn Date Drop into the foundation of a startup. Then, a close friend of his met their partner via Date Drop. "That was when I got the sense that this was less of a project," he said."

Date Drop is a matchmaking service that pairs students with one compatible match per week based on questionnaire responses. The service was designed by Stanford graduate student Henry Weng and has attracted over 5,000 Stanford users since its fall launch. Date Drop has expanded to ten additional schools, including MIT, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania, with plans to expand to some cities during the summer. Weng reports matches convert to actual dates at roughly ten times the rate of Tinder. Date Drop became the initial product of Weng's startup, the Relationship Company, a public benefit corporation. Weng has raised a few million from angel investors, including Mark Pincus and Andy Chen.

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