Tawkify - offline internet dating, kind of

Just when you thought the web was saturated with dating sites (and it probably is), Tawkify comes along. We caught-up with Kenneth Shaw, co-founder and CEO of the Silicon Valley-based startup at the Dublin Web Summit and listened to his story.

Tawkify pitches itself as online dating with a difference. There are no “embarrassing” profiles, no advanced computer algorithms that pair users together based on endless interests. Instead, Tawkify attempts to bring more of the traditional values and human activity of matchmaking online.

As Kenneth explains, “we help people find love through the power of human matchmaking”. So users sign-up to Tawkify, fill in some basic profile information and Tawkify’s small team of matchmakers get to work.

“Our matchmakers really facilitate the social inefficiencies and get you all the way to the result. They [matchmakers] solve a lot of the back and forth gameplay and put you together on a date”.

Potential matches are brought together in a 10 minute phone conversation initiated by Tawkify – without seeing a profile image of each other. Depending on the success of that short conversation, users can decide to schedule a date (somewhat blind) or request a rematch.

Kenneth believes that this human approach will help remove the time-consuming activities associated with established dating sites like match.com or OkCupid. He explains that Tawkify, a “very concierge service”, removes the end-user process of scouring 10’s or even 100’s of profile matches and the constant messaging to and fro, and places these tasks in the hands of the experts.

“We save time by having human matchmakers curate, find the match for you and put you together over a 10 minute phone call”.

Kenneth also admitted that the service was “attracting a lot of celebrities, and actors and actresses, and CEOs”, but used discretion when quizzed about specific names.