An Oakland entrepreneur hits it big with a music-based dating app, to the tune of $1.5M
Malcolm Gibson hails from the East Coast, but he’s been in the Bay for almost two years now grinding as a software engineer. A regular at W&B functions, he reached out to us recently with the news that his latest venture has secured seed funding from some highly esteemed angel investors. His venture? A dating app that he plans to launch right here in the Town, centered around something we can all relate to–good taste in music. Always excited to support young creative cats doing their thing, we sat down with Malcolm to learn more about the service and give our W&B readers an pre-launch look at a dope new app, LuvNote, grown locally here in the Town.
So what brought you to Oakland?
Same as anyone else. Job prospects, change of pace…but to be honest, the main reason was a girl.
Can you expand on that?
There’s this young lady, we met in college. Moved out here together, but you know, it didn’t really work out. We went our separate ways about a year ago. She had her path, I had mine. We’re still good friends though, always.
And I gather your path involved starting a dating app?
Ha well, not initially. I’ve always been a dreamer. Always looking for something new to work on. I’ve been building programs since high school, had a few failed apps along the way. But I guess after the break up, I was definitely looking to date…meet new people, and you know, LuvNote sort of came out of that.
So what’s wrong with Tinder, OK Cupid?
I’ve always felt like you get out of a situation what you put in. So all my Tinder dates, and other dates, seemed just as shallow as the energy I put in to them. With LuvNote, we wanted to have one of the most common connectors of all time–music–but still make it easy for anybody to sign up and start connecting.
I totally get that. OK so what does LuvNote do? What makes you guys special?
LuvNote is a dating site that matches you with potential mates based on your personal music preference. After you sign up, the first thing LuvNote asks you to do is create your 12-song playlist. You search and select any 12 songs that can be found on the internet. That’s it. You have your dating profile. From there LuvNote will match you with local singles with complimentary music profiles to yours and will suggest local concerts that you guys should go check out.
So basically, LuvNote matches me up with a bunch of girls who love Basedgod?
Yes…well kind of. You may find some girls that like Lil B, but you may also find some girls who could introduce you to Ab-Soul or Flying Lotus. Put you on to something new. Our goal is not to give you an unlimited amount of shallow introductions, but to connect you on something stronger. When two people can bond over sharing what they love…in this case music…that’s when intimacy is created. It’s more honest, more human. It’s about creating memories, not just casual encounters.
OK…but will it get you laid?
(Laughs) Will you get you laid? LuvNote is providing you with an interested party, over some music you both enjoy. Where it goes from there is 100% up to you and your match. I’ll tell you this much: I’m a product of some smooth talking after a Smokey Robinson concert in 1987 at the Apollo Theater. Music is the strongest aphrodisiac out there. I don’t care how good the meal was, music’s what’s going to take it back to the bedroom.
True, true. OK so where do I sign up?
We’re going to be sending out invites for late December 2014. You can visit the site now and sign up for an early notification. It’s a free service to start, with tiered options down the line. To show love to our early fans though, the first 100 thousand subscribers will always have unlimited free access to the site. We’re encouraging folks to visit the site now and enter their emails so they can be included as part of that group. You can check us out at luvnote.info.
Get in on the early rush for LuvNote here, and stay tuned for more news as it comes.
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