Pitch Deck: First Round on Dating App Me Raises $3 Million

Many dating apps today feel like a never-ending void of swiping, matching, and messaging.

First Round’s on Me is a new dating platform founded by married couple Joe and Hannah Feminella.

The two are actually Hinge’s success story, Joe told Business Insider. When he first met Hannah, he immediately texted her saying he wanted to take her on a date ASAP. She replied, “Let’s go out tonight.”

Now the pair are teaming up for FROM, which launched in 2020 and focuses on planning dates rather than texting privately.

“Shift, in general, has made it easier and more accessible,” Joe said. “Shift is so easy — it’s like a game. It’s like playing Tetris or something, and that’s what kind of dehumanized it for me.”

When creating FROM, Joe and his team completely avoided swiping. While users still browse a feed of potential matches, the act of matching with someone requires users to ask that person out on a date—time, place, and all.

“We’re trying to change the way people use dating apps,” Joe said.

The startup announced in August that it had raised $3 million in a seed round led by Manna Property Group, a family investment firm.

As it turns out, fundraising is a bit like dating, Joe told BI.

“You have to have a certain personality where you’re really not afraid of rejection,” he said. There’s also a bit of playing the field, seeing which investor aligns with the company’s goals and the founder’s vision.

FROM is expanding at a time when other newcomers are entering the dating and social networking markets.

“The three biggest players—Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge—have the same kind of replicated process,” Hannah said. “Newer apps like ours are making it more intentional.”

“I think people are investing more in small companies where we have a purpose,” Joe said. “We’re not a big conglomerate just trying to make money.”

Still, FROM is still figuring out the best way to monetize itself as a dating app. It currently offers three premium subscription tiers that unlock features like the ability to send more date requests. The lowest option costs $10, while the highest is $25. The startup is also experimenting with live events as a revenue model.

But it’s not just about dating. Joe said he sees FROM as part of a broader trend of social tech startups trying to help people connect in real life and feel more human.

“We want this to be a social movement where people can still enjoy technology, but at the same time we have to connect with it in person,” Joe said.

Read the 16-page presentation that First Round’s on Me shared with investors:

Note: A FROM spokesperson informed BI that the deck presented contains outdated data and details, and some members of the FROM team have since changed their positions.