Start-up Breeze direct is a dating app that works with a smart algorithm, no chatting but instant live dating. Eight questions for co-founder Joris van Doorninck.
You can read the Dutch version on Emerce.
Joris, we saw you and your colleagues pass by in VPRO’s ‘Tegenlicht’ (Dutch Documentaries series).
We were approached by the show since our technology and vision matched with the theme of the episode: The metaverse and living an online and an offline life. Breeze is intended to meet eachother offline rather than online. And yes, we have had a lot of response.
What is Breeze exactly?
Everyone knows dating apps like Tinder, but Breeze is a dating app that works very differently. No endless swiping and chatting, but going on a date directly. The algorithm proposes a number of profiles per day. If there is a match, you don’t chat, but you can immediately schedule a date at one of our affiliated cafes or restaurants.
What is your link with YES!Delft?
We participated in the YES!Delft accelerator program (incubator of Technical University Delft, The Netherlands) and became part of the network.
How did you guys start?
We were all students at the Technical University of Delft and knew each other through The Young Consultant, a kind of fast track towards the well-known consultancy firms. We thought: nice, but maybe starting our own business is much more fun. We formed a team with whom we worked well and represented a variety of skillsets. The idea also quickly gained some traction, so we actually went all-in pretty fast.
Do you have any advice for other founders, based on the Breeze journey so far?
What I would say is: don’t listen to advice too much. We are quite an unusual start-up with 7 founders and in the dating tech space. For us that is working really well so far. But a lot of people have advised against it. If you get general feedback: listen carefully, look at it from the advisor’s perspective and check if it’s something you want to take into account or not. You decide.
What’s your response when people want to discuss you having 7 founders?
I think it is a huge strength if you manage it well. This way we have some very good people for a lower salary and who go all out since they are very invested. The division of tasks has to be crystal clear, so that not everyone gets involved in everything. We have also arranged everything on the legal side of it.
Where are you now with Breeze?
We have organized more than 17,000 dates so far. The growth is good. We are working on a new financing round. A number of growth channels seem well worth the investment, so we want to focus more on those channels. We are ready to conquer the Dutch market and also want to take the first steps on the UK market at some point. We are looking to raise a half to one and a half million euros. In addition to the spending money on working marketing channels, we also want to hire some very good people with that investment.
Are there certain investors you are specifically looking out for?
Ideally we can choose between investors. We are indeed looking for smart capital. There are a few areas where we can use those smarts: international scaling, marketing, scaling a tech startup in general, and artificial intelligence. Thijs Verheul, one of the founders of United Wardrobe, has already entered this round and also has an advisory role. He brings good energy and marketing knowledge. We would gladly bring investors with a complimentary skillset or network on board.
More information for investors can be found on the app:
Breeze has been part of Yes!Delft. You can discover and follow its portfolio, or that of one of our other academic partners in Europe on our platform.