They want to stand out from superficial dating services like Tinder and the like, while remaining serious and distanced from the dusty image of dating agencies. Founders Marianne and Dominic of the Munich-based startup mayze In our 7 questions, they explained to us how they intend to assert themselves in the highly competitive dating market.
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your product!
The founders of mayze are Marianne Kraai, 28, and Dominic Phillips, 27. I met Dominic during my time at the startup Stylight. There, we learned practically firsthand how to turn an idea into a successful startup. Dominic was a developer at Stylight, and I worked in marketing.
More commitment with mayze
There are many dating apps, but there aren't any truly high-quality offerings for people looking for more than just a short-term fling. As a single person, I tried many dating apps myself and was basically frustrated: Too few people were suitable for me to date. What bothered me most was that most people on these apps were only looking for superficial contacts and weren't looking for a commitment.
People who like the same cafes and bars are similarly inclined. That's why you'll find exactly those people on mayze. Furthermore, on mayze, you only meet people who live in the same city—Munich. Online dates can only develop into relationships if you can see and date each other more often. And that only works if you live in the same city. Furthermore, all profiles are carefully reviewed by our team—so you have to actually apply for mayze. This is how we maintain high quality.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Not at all! Sure, there are many dating apps. But most are based on a specific area. There's no app where you only meet people from your own city. By reviewing every profile, we also ensure that we don't have people on the app who are just looking for a one-night stand or a fling. At mayze, every online contact should have the chance for real dates or relationships.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
The biggest challenge was creating an app and a major launch event with more than 1,000 guests within just under three months. At the same time, we approached investors and initiated our seed funding round. We've already worked through a few nights. Dominic, for example, had to spend several nights dealing with an app reviewer from California. That was a stressful time. But now everything is in place, and we're incredibly happy.
“Munich is a good location for us”
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
We recently launched the beta version of our app and are testing it with a few hundred users. So far, we have 601,452,000 female sign-ups and 941,452,000 users are active on the app daily. We'll certainly have more numbers for you in a few months.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Dominic and I have been living in Munich for some time now. Munich is our adopted home, and we both feel really comfortable here. People always say that Berlin is the startup capital. We don't think so. Through our work at Stylight, we have a large network here in Munich, and that's what you need when starting a business. There are a lot of tech students in Munich, which makes recruiting easier. Rent is, of course, incredibly expensive. But Munich is just a beautiful city. Personally, I prefer Munich to Berlin because it has more atmosphere. Plus, there are an incredible number of singles in Munich. That makes Munich a good location for us.
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
We solve a real problem that not only I myself, but many women, have. We're not as random as Tinder, and not as outdated as established dating services. We position ourselves precisely in the market niche between these dating services.
7. Fish on a stick or pork knuckle?
Grilled fish.
