It isn’t every day that two health care professionals decide to shake up the ailing online dating industry, but in the case of Fourplay, it was just what the doctor ordered.
Not too long ago, January of 2019 to be exact, the female founders of Fourplay, the official double dating app for singles, were sitting in bumper-to-bumper on New York’s FDR Highway (classic) talking about how much dating sucks. After using pretty much every dating app (save for those used to cheat on spouses) to exhaustion, they had started to believe that they may have perhaps met nearly all the single males between 25 and 35 years old within a 3-mile radius of the city. Well, at least the ones worth meeting. Unbeknownst to the online dating world, however, things were about to change for the better, as it was in this particular conversation that Fourplay was born.
The Date With Your Friend Opening Line
As the story goes, the pair were only “half-heartedly” considering expanding their match preferences to 18-60 years old within a 40-mile radius of the city (if that makes their desperation any more apparent) when inspiration struck. While bouncing back and forth their favorite worst dating app opening lines, including the ghastly “Hey, how is your week going?” opener, one proposed an honestly original idea to the other that would alter the course of online dating forever: Would she be interested in making her dating profile a shared profile?
Now, since the girls would be living together for the next six weeks while on a practicum for grad school, this seemed like a better time than any to attempt a social science experiment such as this. Yes, we know, the concept was genius if we may say so ourselves (and we do), and required only the slightest bit of effort. Just like that, with literally no hesitation or debate, one changed her description to say that they were two single friends seeking two single men, and so if you had an awesome friend then don’t hesitate to reach out. All that was left now was to add some faces to those names.
The First Team Page is Created
That night with the help of Facebook’s “See Friendship,” tab these two fearless entrepreneurial bachelorettes went all out. Pictures of the two of them came out of the woodwork left and right. Fond memories were rehashed, along with some buried arguments that had been swept under the carpet for years including “Why did you make us leave that Avicii concert after 3 minutes?” and, “Remember when you made us get to the airport four hours early for our DOMESTIC flight?” But that’s besides the point...
Finally, the ladies uploaded six excellent photos of themselves onto a dating app profile and typed, “Swipe right if you and your awesome friend want to go out with me and my awesome friend.” Any doubt of how the idea would be received was quickly put to rest, as in no time at all their now shared inbox was soon flooded with messages from suitors. With such an overwhelmingly positive response they began to think their newly devised concept could be its own app! (Editor's note: this is what's commonly known as foreshadowing). With nearly triple the suitable responses that the girls normally received flowing in, the two decided to go out with one of their matches and his wingman friend.
The Double Date Meets Its Match
Not surprisingly, the duo was quite nervous in the time leading up to the date. After all, neither had ever double dated with another pair of single friends before. Was this going to be weird? What if one was mute and the other didn’t have an off button? Which is exactly what happened! However, whatever the date lacked in romantic fireworks, was certainly made up for in entertainment value. Plus, unlike most two hour marathon dates with no end in sight, their escape hatch was always readily available with a simple giving of the unspoken get-me-the-****-outta-here eyes.
At last, after a full and fair one hundred and twenty minutes, our fearless founders decided to call it a night. The encounter may not have produced much in the way of wedding invitations, but they did legitimately laugh ‘till they cried when they debriefed the night again and again. In fact, they both agreed it was one of the best dates either had ever been on, and it wasn’t because they found romance; it was because, for once, it was FUN.
The more the two replayed the date to each other the more clear the reason became as to why their date felt like such a hit (even when it was a total bust), and it wasn't just because they had one another to cue the exit. Quite simply, it was because they got to share the experience in a more natural, low-pressure social setting, and of course one where no one had to worry about getting her drink spiked if she went to the bathroom. Best of all though they got to do it together rather than sacrificing a night out with friends in exchange for one with a stranger.
Let’s Do It Again Sometime
Although both women had clear cut career paths as a Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant, they had successfully conjured up the idea for a game-changing app. Better yet, it was one that was just what singles needed. The dating scene felt stale and double dating was a sure way to make it fun again. What had been a joke turned into an ongoing dialogue about the benefits of meeting other singles in this way. It felt safer, more social, less awkward, and more comfortable. It was an opportunity for young people to hang out with their friends while also connecting with other singles in a pressure-free environment. Just a few weeks later ground would be broken on the app now known as Fourplay for both iOS and Android, and thus marked the beginning of their quest to make dating 2x better.
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