FORBES - May 18 - It was a TikTok video that gave Kimberly Kaplan the lightbulb moment she needed to inspire her to create a video-first dating app. Snack looks to merge the popularity and format of TikTok with the dating world. Kaplan wants to build an easy way for people to flirt, have fun, and actually see inside a dating prospect's real life.
Q: Where does the name Snack come from?
A: It was actually a couple of Gen-Zers who came up with the name. They also came up with the logo.
Q: What obstacles did you face as you were building Snack?
A: Dating is a really tough industry to break into. But as soon as I started to talk to investors about the idea, they immediately saw the opportunity. I approached investors and fundraised all virtually. It was over Zoom. It was way less intimidating than the experience when you're walking into their boardroom, where they hold the power and you're in their domain.
Q: How does the app work and how is it different from others?
A: You sign up like a typical dating app but instead of you moving over to a messaging screen, you can just scroll through videos of your matches in your feed.
Q: What was the timeline from concept to launch?
A: I was about to start fundraising in March of last year and then Covid hit. Markets tanked, VCs were trying to think about their companies. No one was fundraising, so I paused. In August, I started putting everything back together, and after about three weeks of pitching, I had multiple term sheets.
Q: What advice would you give to others starting their own business?
A: Great ideas disrupt the best laid plans. If you have a really great idea, don't be afraid to go for it.
by Amy Shoenthal
See full article at Forbes
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