Looking for the key to a healthy social life? Then get yourself a prescription for preventative dating with Fourplay.
Our two medical professional turned entrepreneurs cofounders, Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek give the backstory of Fourplay; the team-dating app that makes dating safer, less awkward, and more fun! Q: Before developing a dating app, what was your day-to-day like? Julie Griggs: My life before Fourplay was very "unfourplaylike." After graduating from Penn State University in 2014 I volunteered as an EMT, worked as a physical therapy aide and worked for a bone marrow donor center in Manhattan while I applied to go back to school. In October of 2015 I received a call from Rutgers University accepting me into the Physician Assistant (PA) Program, and I felt that everything I had been working towards was finally coming to fruition. Little did I know that becoming a PA student would be the catalyst for a double dating app called Fourplay... Danielle Dietzek: Believe it or not, before Fourplay, business, tech, and app development were foreign languages to me. Not dating, I knew that one fluently. I’m a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and my experience was contained to being a primary care provider and a floor nurse (RN) on a maternity unit at a large hospital in Manhattan. I spent my days off getting Qi Gong massages, dog walking (for extra cash, but mainly for cuddles), and traveling the world from Bali to Belize to Portugal to Prague. It’s been six years in NYC and counting, after graduating from Penn State in 2013. Q: There are already so many dating apps and websites out there. What makes Fourplay "different?" JG: Truth be told, Fourplay is similar to what’s already out there while simultaneously being absolutely revolutionary. What we mean is that the technology of online dating, swiping/scrolling, and matching is not unique to our app, but double dating with your other single friend(s) most certainly is, and it opens the door into a type of socializing that singles are craving. Trust us, we know, we are those singles. Oh, not to mention, it’s totally FREE. DD: Different than the other apps which typically facilitate a match between two singles, Fourplay allows singles to team up with a friend, create a team profile, and match with other pairs. Users swipe through other teams on their individual devices, giving the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” If all four singles give the “thumbs up” to one another, it’s a match. A match opens up a group chat where all four users can enjoy the banter that ensues. It really takes the pressure off when planning a date for four rather than two, and the lack of small talk both on the app and on the date is totally refreshing. What’s more, users get to be on an unlimited number of teams. Also, Fourplay allows for same-sex and coed teams. Any and every type of person is welcome! Fourplay is safer, less awkward, and more FUN than what’s out there, and it is a totally unique way of dating. The current dating scene requires singles to meet total strangers, often in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Not to mention, it can be really awkward! Fourplay allows singles to spend time with their friends while simultaneously dating another party of two. That alone makes the date more comfortable than it ever typically would be. JG: Fourplay is also different in that its cofounders are two female healthcare providers with a core mission of enabling users to make healthy, informed, and safe relationship choices. That being said, we are in the process of finalizing a partnership with a revolutionary health organization that will allow us to be at the forefront of socially responsible online dating. DD: We know that digital dating isn’t a novel concept, but we are confident that Fourplay shakes things up in a world where being single can be daunting and quite the bore. Q: Why did you decide to enter a market with tons of already established competitors? JG: We are totally aware that the online dating market is bustling with tons of other apps and websites. The reason why we decided to join the industry is because we tried our idea firsthand— a process we called “babe-a-testing.” As you’d imagine, we had an absolute blast double dating, and it was then that we knew our app would be a valuable addition to the dating world. We don’t consider ourselves another “swipe-right” dating app, we look at Fourplay as a safer, less awkward, and more fun way of getting to meet people. By giving our users the chance to match as teams, Fourplay provides people with the opportunity to go out in a group setting and see who vibes with whom and what happens naturally when four people meet. DD: We’ll be honest; we know that singles aren’t just using one app at a time. They bounce around, uploading new photos to this one and giving their profiles a makeover on that one (again, take our word for it because we are those singles). Fourplay is an alternative, not a replacement, and we know from the feedback we have gotten that singles are excited to have a fresh option in a stale dating scene. Fourplay also offers a solution for people who are just out of long-term relationships or those who are divorced or widowed, who may be naive to and turned off by the world of online dating. We give those people the chance to ease back into being single again. It’s way less intimidating and dreadful when you don’t have to navigate uncharted waters alone. Q: So, how do people join Fourplay? JG: Fourplay is in both the App and Google Play Stores. People can download and join Fourplay totally free. DD: In every country!