Nicole Drew, Founder of Rater Single’s Social App: Interview

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Nowadays, the dating culture runs on just one swipe. It’s become like your partner is only one swipe away! 

But online dating apps don’t always assure your safety. In 2022, romance scams reported over $1.3 billion of losses in the U.S. What’s even crazier is that this reported amount is almost double what was reported in 2021, i.e., $547 million.

Nicole Drew, the founder of Rater, has taken her step towards preventing or reducing these romance scams. She was one of the victims of such scams and even worse, the dating app took no action against the fraudulent.

About Nicole Drew:

Nicole Drew is the Founder & CEO of Rater. Nicole founded Rater in 2020 after falling victim to a romance scam in 2018.

Her professional experience includes executive support for large corporations based in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as Johnson & Johnson and Samsung. She is a first-time entrepreneur aiming to disrupt the worldwide Online Dating sector.

Find her on LinkedIn

INTERVIEW

Q1. You have developed a dating app when there are already so many existing in the market. What problem did you see in the existing ones that you wish to solve with your app?

After being victimised in 2018, I found I had absolutely no recourse against the person who stole from me and no way of warning other potential victims on the app. The app I was victimised did nothing to remove this person’s profile, even after I reported them.

After researching romance scams, I found that over 547 million dollars were lost in 2021, an 80% increase from 2020 (according to FTC reports) and that 70% of online profiles are lying about one or more items displayed.

I aim to combat the massive problem of catfishing and scamming on online dating platforms by incorporating a user-to-user human verification star rating system, user criminal/sex offenders background checks and pop-up city-by-city IRL singles mixers.

Rater App On iOS

rater dating app Apple store screenshot

Rater App On Android

rater app playstore screenshot

Q2. What makes Rater dating app different? One feature that you love about your dating app.

The mission statement behind Rater is very different from all the rest because there is a genuine focus and concerted effort towards user honesty and authenticity.  I love the city-by-city pop-up IRL “Radar by Rater” singles mixer because that allows for the most organic way for Rater users to meet others in their area.  

It also greatly reduces the incidence of catfishing almost completely because the avenue to catfish (online platforms) is removed when you meet & connect initially IRL.

Q3. In India, people use “Shaadi.com'' to find their life partner. And, in several cases, it's either the girl’s sister or brother, sometimes even parents who make the profile, manage it and meet the match before proceeding further. How do you see this involvement of family when it comes to choosing a partner for marriage?

I think that the level of involvement in picking mates by family members, culturally, is more prevalent in countries such as India, but Rater does plan to allow friends and family members to recommend a user if they run across a profile they think would be a good fit for their adult child, brother/sister/family member.  

We plan to call it the “Rater Wingman/Woman” feature.

Q4. How does it feel as a founder of an online dating platform startup? What are the various stages of starting and running an online dating platform startup?

It’s a mix of emotions daily and certainly the most rewarding, yet difficult thing I’ve ever done professionally.  I’m extremely passionate about it and will see it through every stage to ultimate success. 

The stages go from:

  1. Idea 
  2. Branding/Design/Tech development 
  3. Launch 
  4. Scaling/Building user base and brand recognition

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Q5. Give us a quick tour of Rater Single’s Social App!

Plans:

  • Free (10 Swipe per-day)
  • Premium (Unlimited swipe)

Devices:

  • For Android
  • For iOS

Location:

  • USA
  • Canada
  • European countries

Q6. What are your key challenges when it comes to marketing and building your user base? How useful do you think blogs and social media are for your marketing?

The challenges that arise are that this is a saturated market and brand recognition is the absolute key. Finding the correct avenues to build that brand recognition is a challenge that takes time.

Social media is extremely important and useful for marketing, along with podcast interviews and blogs.

Find Rater on Instagram

Q7. What is your next 6 month plan or goal?

To expand Rater in the Canadian singles market, gain thousands of users and host 5-10 “Radar by Rater” IRL mixers

Q8. You have worked in a company at a reputed post as a full-time employee, and now you are a founder of a startup. What are the differences between these two experiences for you?

I have full control over my company as a Founder, but also full responsibility.  It feels like a lot more pressure to be a Founder, but it’s welcomed pressure (if that makes sense!)

More articles: Job Vs Startup, Which way to go?

Q8. Last question! What is your advice to those who are dating or planning to get into a relationship with someone?

Work on being a full, thriving and content person first, then look to get into a relationship.  Ask yourself, “Would I want to date myself?” and seek out an answer that you believe with your heart. 

Then just be your authentic self and put yourself in situations where you are thriving and enjoying yourself, and that’s when you’ll connect with others.

Don’t take the dating process too seriously at the first instant.  Have fun with it.  Ultimately, you are looking for someone who you can “stand” personality-wise, are physically attracted to, and aligns with your goals and values.

Conclusion

Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your experience, goals with the Rater app, and dating advice. 

One key point I loved about this whole interview was your entrepreneurial spirit that combined all your learnings through the journey of dating. Surely, the dating culture needs to become something more than just one swipe and I hope, Rater’s users catch it quickly.

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