Singapore's first dating hackathon helps singles mingle

Dating in Singapore could get more social if the ideas from the Social Development Network's (SDN) first dating "hackathon" come to fruition.

The event, a way to crowdsource innovative solutions on dating, took place over three days, earlier this month.

During yesterday's finale held at Enabling Village, 10 teams made up of polytechnic and university students as well as working professionals pitched their ideas to help singles widen their social circles to judges.

Head of SDN, Dr Alvin Tan, 41, said: "This is a great platform to generate ideas and solutions while bringing together people of similar interests to meet up and work together.

"The teams have all provided innovative and high quality ideas and we hope to organise more events such as this, which caters to interest groups, in the future."

The top three teams won cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively, and the chance to receive seed funding of up to $50,000 by partnering with an SDNTrust accredited agency for the development of their solution.

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First-place team

MIXER

Inspiration

Ms Amilyn Quah, 27, who works in the finance industry, said: "Singles like myself do want to meet new people, either to widen our social circle or even date. But some current dating apps like Tinder may not be ideal for this."

She said statistics show "73 per cent of single Singaporeans don't mind meeting new people and even meeting an individual face to face, since they get a better impression of them".

Solution

A mobile app called TableAround that increases opportunities for singles to meet over meals.

Users can discover and participate in activities like dinner sessions through the app's clustering formula, which ensures a mix of different personalities in the group.

Second-place team

TUNNEL OF LOVE

Inspiration

Mr Nathaniel Yim, a 23-year-old National University of Singapore undergrad, said: "Singles do want to meet new people but it can be awkward the first time. We want users to slowly warm up to each other online before taking things offline."

Solution

The Tunnel Of Love app helps users meet through ice-breakers and relationship-building games.

After getting comfortable with each other, they can take the next step by going on dates.

Third-place team

WE PAIR PEARS

Inspiration

Mr Ang Wei Loong, a 22-year-old Nanyang Technological University undergrad, said: "During my national service, my girlfriend and I communicated via texting, but we felt you can't really form a connection well (that way). So we started calling each other instead."

Solution

A mobile app called Dimer, which connects and pairs users via a phone chat.

This gives a more personal and intimate feel and helps the couple form a stronger connection.

When first speaking to a user, you will not be able to see his or her profile photo so importance is placed on personality and the quality of conversation instead of physical appearance.

The app also shows what the person thinks of you after the conversation ends and get tips on how to improve your future chats.

"Singles like myself do want to meet new people, either to widen our social circle or even date. But some current dating apps like Tinder may not be ideal for this."

- Miss Amilyn Quah of team Mixer