Dating Startup Is Star Of Acclaimed Tech Podcast’s Next Season

Startup, a popular podcast that tells the story of one new company for an entire season, is following matchmaking service Dating Ring for its upcoming series.

The acclaimed podcast kicks off its second season this Thursday, and will document the journey of dating entrepreneurs Lauren Kay and Emma Tessler, as they build a dating company in the male-dominated world of startups.

The first season followed Startup’s founder, Alex Blumberg, through the trials and tribulations of starting his podcast company.

Listeners heard everything from frustrating conversations between Blumberg and his employees, as well as his concern about the future of his company, and his attempts to raise funding from investors.

The next season of the podcast will follow a similar route, with the “no-holds-barred” treatment given to Lauren Kay and Emma Tessler, the co-founders of Dating Ring.

One of the major themes of the season will involve fundraising, and how long the company can continue without an influx of revenue.

Additional episodes will include the sudden departure of a partner from the company, details of the pair’s experience at Y Combinator, and interviews from dating execs — including the CEO of Match.com, Sam Yagan.

Dating Ring started in 2013, with Kay and Tessler arranging group dates for singles in New York City.

The company was a member of tech accelerator Y Combinator’s January 2014 class, and grew by 10% per week.

After reaching out for user feedback, the duo shifted their group-dating dynamic to one-on-one dating with matchmakers — earning the company $7,000 in sales within 24 hours.

Although the company is growing, Kay and Tessler do not have a consistent salary and still face many of the same challenges that other startups encounter — such as national expansion and re-branding.

Listen to Startup’s second season here, and check out Dating Ring’s website here.

Check out the first episode of Startup below: