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Comment by villageidiot | Hacker News Reader

Mr G made an insightful comment regarding the problem of getting off the ground with a dating startup: ". . . no one wants to use a dating site with only 20 users, which of course becomes a self-perpetuating problem. So if you want to do a dating startup, don't focus on the novel take on dating that you're going to offer. That's the easy half. Focus on novel ways to get around the chicken and egg problem."

Did you get around the chicken and egg problem?

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One way around the problem is to create a site where dating is a natural byproduct - HotOrNot does this well as that the social (or selfishly compelling) aspect of uploading a photo and obtaining public opinion has a very good tie in with boosting esteem and meeting people, which happens to be the revenue component. With EstablishedMen, we have a family of sister dating sites that could feed users. Also, we have raised significant capital and have had good success with our other dating properties of converting users via offline and online ad spends.

With EstablishedMen, we have a family of sister dating sites that could feed users. Also, we have raised significant capital and have had good success with our other dating properties of converting users via offline and online ad spends.

Sorry, when I read sentences like that then I can only say: Instant MBA failure.

You're apparently trying to "produce" a dating site like others produce tin food. It doesn't work like that. You don't pour money into a few developers, stir, feed users until boiling - then serve with a strawberry for guaranteed hot exit.

I don't see a site that would create dating as a natural byproduct. I see only the byproduct - and a pretty bad one at that, for all the problems that others have already mentioned.

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