A new dating app is on the scene and it’s trying to make online dating less superficial. S’more is the dating app for millennials, prioritizing conversation over appearances with a novel approach where the respective profile photos of two matched individuals are progressively unblurred based on the engagement in conversation. S’more is completely free for users and it differentiates itself by offering premium content that educates users on the data behind dating.
AlleyWatch sat down with CEO and Founder Adam Cohen-Aslatei to learn more about his vision for millennial dating, the company’s future expansion plans, and the state of online dating today.
Tell us about the product or service that Something More offers.
S’More (a.k.a. Something More) is a next-gen relationship app built to provide daters with a totally interactive way of getting to learn more about a person before evaluating them on the basis of appearance. Our parent company is called Something More Inc., and everything we do is centered on providing our community more. More than just a pretty face!
How is S’More different?
S’More is designed to prioritize getting to know a person before deciding if you like them and before you even see them. The more you engage and chat with a person, the more their profile photos unblur and the more their private content unlocks. S’More makes it easy and fun to learn about a person before making a judgment based on little more than a selfie. While most dating apps focus on an image first, S’More focuses on the whole person and elevates the standard of online dating. All of our features support that mission. As an example, we are the first and only relationship app to require all daters to verify their profile photos with a selfie to protect against cat-fishing and under-age usage. S’More is an inclusive app and we do not allow filtering based on any discriminating factor. Our logo includes an equality sign because it doesn’t matter who you are, or who you’re attracted to, if your end goal is a relationship, then we’re the app for you!
What market does S’More target and how big is it?
S’More is designed to transition Millenials from casual dating apps into relationships. There are over 24M millennials + in the US that have used dating apps and are still single. That’s our primary target, but anyone looking for “Something More” is invited to join the community regardless of age, gender, or sexual identity, etc.
Who do you consider to be your primary competitors?
An interesting fact about this space is that the average dater has 4 different dating/relationship apps on their phone. So, while any app that focuses on helping to find relationships is technically a competitor, S’More occupies a unique position in the market by ushering in the third generation of dating apps that focus on the whole person rather than on a selfie.
Nominations are now open for AlleyWatch’s 2020 NYC Tech Influencers feature. Know someone amazing who belongs on this list? Nominate them today here. Nominations open until 2/4. Looking to drive targeted response from the NYC Tech community at scale, learn more about partnering with AlleyWatch on this initiative here.
What is the business model?
S’More is a free app that also offers a subscription service to unlocks additional premium features. We rethought the idea of premium features in the dating space by pulling inspiration from utility, gaming, and transportation apps and designed the “Discover” section to immerse our users in the data behind dating. This has never been done before and our research shows that users’ willingness to pay for these types of features has never been higher.
What inspired the start of S’More?
After spending over 10 years in the dating and ad tech space, I felt like there had not been a major innovation since Tinder invented the swipe. Most dating apps that I knew of focus on image first, yet millennials are the largest generation to still be single at this point in their lives. I wanted to create an app that elevated the industry and provided a secure and high-quality environment where expectations were similar. That’s our premise: that everyone on S’More is looking for …Something More!
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
We plan to launch out of beta by the end of the year. We will launch S’More by city starting in Boston and Washington DC, with their high concentration of young professionals and graduate students, a key cohort for us. From there we will go to Chicago, New York, and LA.
What is the one piece of startup advice that you never got?
It may sound obvious, but no one ever told me just how important it is to step back from time to time to refocus on the “big picture.” In a startup you find yourself working on a million little things, and you can get really bogged down in minutiae. Even in the early days it’s important to prioritize and invest your time where it will have the biggest impact.
If you could be put in touch with anyone in the New York community who would it be and why?
I’ve always admired Barry Diller for his vision and courage to take big risks across industries. He has the unique ability to not only understand the future of consumer technology but to also invest in the right businesses and the right leaders to run them.
I’ve always admired Barry Diller for his vision and courage to take big risks across industries. He has the unique ability to not only understand the future of consumer technology but to also invest in the right businesses and the right leaders to run them.
Why did you launch in New York?
We based the company in New York because of the amazing community of highly qualified professionals that are unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Where is your favorite fall destination in the city?
I love going to Central Park in the fall to take a minute away from the craziness of the city and connect with nature.
Nominations are now open for AlleyWatch’s 2020 NYC Tech Influencers feature.Know someone amazing who belongs on this list? Nominate them today here. Nominations open until 2/4. Looking to drive targeted response from the NYC Tech community at scale, learn more about partnering with AlleyWatch on this initiative here.
