Relationships take work. Every couple fights; the most common arguments stem from money and delegation of responsibilities, but not every couple takes the time to step back to truly assess and work on their relationship. Relish is the relationship training app that gives couples a convenient and personalized way for couples to strengthen their relationship. The app provides unlimited access to a qualified relationship coach and uses machine learning to generate a customized, scientifically-backed relationship plan. Users can use Relish alone, or with their partner. It costs $99.99 a year per couple to belong to the platform, a small price to pay for a lifetime of happiness.
AlleyWatch sat down with Relish CEO and Founder Lesley Eccles to learn more about the app that’s fueling healthier relationships through technology. Eccles is a serial entrepreneur who cofounded FanDuel with her husband and it’s the experience of building a high-growth company and the close interpersonal relationships involved that inspired the idea for Relish.
Tell us about the product or service that Relish offers.
Relish is the first-ever truly customized relationship training app that makes it easy to build a happy, healthy, more connected relationship with your partner. It offers unlimited one-on-one access to a qualified relationship coach and uses machine learning to create a customized, scientifically-backed relationship plan in the form of interactive lessons. Relish teaches active mindfulness to help individuals or couples become more conscious of how they approach their relationship, discovering improved communication, deeper connection and more intimacy.
How is Relish different?
Relish stands out amongst competitors with its unlimited, one-on-one support from qualified relationship coaches and its truly customized relationship plans. Relish values human connection, so the app includes unlimited messaging with highly experienced coaches, interactive quizzes, journaling, and a supportive and thriving community.
What market does Relish target and how big is it?
Relish’s ideal user is someone in a long-term relationship (1+ years) who is open to working on themselves and on their relationship. They understand the value of that and are committed to improving their communication and deepening their connection with their partner. They also understand that being more conscious of their mindset is the first step to a healthy and intimate relationship. Users can use Relish at their own pace either together or alone.
There are more than 122M married individuals in this country, and in a recent survey, only 8M of them describe their relationship as perfect. This number doesn’t account for people in long-term relationships who are unmarried, so the overall market is even bigger.
What is the business model?
Relish is an annual subscription of $99.99 per year per couple.
What inspired the start of Relish?
The idea for Relish came about in the months after I left FanDuel at the end of 2017. Many of us felt pretty broken after our experience at FanDuel (you can read more about that in Albert Chen’s new book, Billion Dollar Fantasy) and I realized that the only thing that kept us all sane through the period was the strength of our relationships with each other in the team, with our partners, our family, and our friends. That’s what’s important in life. I knew that whenever I had issues in my relationship with my husband (who I cofounded FanDuel with) I didn’t really have anywhere to go for advice on what to do. I turned to self-help books. I wanted to find a way to use technology to make that process easier, better and affordable. I wanted to use technology for good – to bring people together, help them build deeper connections with each other and ultimately get more affection and intimacy.
Who do you consider to be your primary competitors?
A couple of other relationship apps on the market and Google search results.
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
We are launching internationally by the end of the year.
What is the one piece of startup advice that you never got?
Make sure you do deep due diligence on your investors. Taking investors who have some element of control of your company is like getting married. Not many people get married after a couple of dates. You will be working with your investors for a long time, through plenty of ups and downs. Like a romantic relationship, you only know the true nature of your investor when everything in the garden isn’t rosy. When the baby won’t sleep, when you’re exhausted, when you’re having issues at work – that’s when you know how your partner will truly support you. It’s the same with investors.
If you could be put in touch with anyone in the New York community who would it be and why?
I would love to meet anyone who really understands the importance and value of relationships and is excited about helping people make the most of their lives.
I would love to meet anyone who really understands the importance and value of relationships and is excited about helping people make the most of their lives.
The definition of success should not be how much money you’ve made, and certainly not how many billion-dollar companies you’ve built – it’s about who is there for you when it matters.
Why did you launch in New York?
I moved here three years ago from Edinburgh in Scotland. We had wanted to move here for years – FanDuel’s HQ was here and we traveled back and forth for years. We had been too busy building FanDuel to take the time to make the move. Finally, we did it and couldn’t be happier here! I’m excited to see how much the tech ecosystem has changed and grown even in the past five years. I genuinely believe it’s the best place in the country to build a tech company.
Where is your favorite fall destination in the city?
At this time of the year, I love to escape upstate and go apple picking with our kids. We probably get more excited about it than they do though!
