Ohio Students Tackle Dating Safety with Group-Based App

A group of students from Ohio State University has developed a new dating app, DuoDate, aimed at making online dating safer and more social by facilitating group-based dates.

Nick Saris, CEO and co-founder, shared that the app took 13 months to develop, with the inspiration coming from a family friend who always brought a companion on dates for safety reasons. Recognizing a market need for a dating solution that prioritizes security, Saris and his team designed DuoDate to allow users to connect and go on dates in pairs rather than meeting one-on-one.

“Once we saw that there was a market need for a solution to such a problem like safety in the dating space, we thought to implement that and fix it for people,” Saris explained. “Every time (a family member) went on a date, she would bring her best friend with her to make her feel more safe.”

The app’s development has been a hands-on learning experience for the team, with students handling everything from coding to marketing. Tyler Miller, DuoDate’s Chief Marketing Officer, emphasized that no one on the team is receiving financial compensation yet – the app is being made purely for the “love of the game” and as an attempt to fill an under-noticed niche.

As college juniors, Saris and Miller are balancing their academic commitments while working on DuoDate. Miller described the experience as an opportunity to develop social and business skills beyond the classroom. DuoDate is currently focused on college campuses, but the team has ambitions to expand its reach to a wider audience. The app has yet to launch on the app store, but its waitlist is open, so a full release date can’t be that far away.