With over 5,000 students at Stanford participating, a new dating service called Date Drop is gaining traction as an alternative to traditional dating apps. Designed by Henry Weng, a graduate student, Date Drop connects users based on their questionnaire responses, providing one match per week instead of the typical swiping format. This innovative approach addresses the frustrations many young adults face with online dating.
Date Drop has expanded beyond Stanford, now available at 10 additional universities, including MIT and Princeton, with plans for broader city launches this summer. Weng reports that matches from Date Drop have a conversion to actual dates at a rate approximately ten times higher than Tinder.
Initially a casual project, Weng's vision evolved after a friend's success in finding a partner through the service. He has since established The Relationship Company, a public benefit corporation, to further develop Date Drop and other services aimed at fostering various types of meaningful connections. To date, Weng has secured several million dollars in funding from notable investors, including Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, and early backers of major tech companies like Airbnb and Stripe.