Restaurant Entrepreneurs to Invest AUD $2 Million in Dating App

A new dating app has been launched in Australia which allows users to review their dates based upon the accuracy of profile and safety.

The husband and wife team of Celeste and Hui Ong founded Pair after hearing about the level of harassment that their friends have had to deal with on dating sites.

Pair has now been available on the App Store for just over a week and is focused on an authentic user experience. Each new signup verifies themselves with a mobile number and a selfie to limit the possibility of fake profiles.

The couple ran a restaurant review website called Eatability, which they sold for AUD $6 million back in 2012. So far they’ve spent AUD $100,000 to fund the launch of Pair, but plan to spend up to AUD $2 million to grow the product over the next few years.

The main feature of the app is that users can rate their matches on how clear their profile was and how safe they felt on the date.

Celeste Ong said to the The Sydney Morning Herald: “Our experience with Eatability was important to us – we [were] allowing diners to make reviews – and we know what it takes to moderate reviews and spot abuse.”

If someone receives an evaluation which they believe to be unjustified, they can appeal it with evidence and an in-house administrator will review it.

The basic app will be free to sign up to, but a premium plan is available at AUD $39.99 a month which includes an AI matchmaker called Ava.

Ava will find suggested matches based upon preferences and deal-breakers, and sends a notification to the user when someone is found.

Pair is continuing to grow within the Australian market and the team is planning to officially launch in more countries very soon. 

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