Weaver – A New Social Group Dating Initiative
WEAVER: Online Dating for Young Professionals
Weaver – a new social community for young professionals looking to meet new people, was recently launched in South Africa.
The Weaver founders are 26yr olds Andrew Lynch and Kiril Dobrev – the young entrepreneurs behind Cable Kiosk. The duo have now embarked on a new venture, Weaver, aimed to transform the way people meet online.
The emphasis of Weaver is to get busy professionals away from their computers and into a fun, social environment where they can meet like-minded people.
Weaver on Facebook
The Weaver website is now live in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. Services in Durban and Pretoria are expected to be launched soon.
“We spent so much time working that we didn’t have time to go out and join social or sports clubs. The only other alternative was to join an online dating site, but we found the idea very creepy.” – Andrew Lynch
The pair had a candid discussion about what were the most relaxing ways to meet new people and the environments that facilitated it.
“While online dating is essentially a collection of personal ads, we wanted a service that took all the hassle out of meeting girls. I joked that meeting girls should be as easy as pressing a button and it is from that phrase that Weaver was born.” – Kiril Dobrev
Weaver offers a group dating scenario whereby two groups of friends – three guys and three girls (or three guys and three guys etc.) are set up with drinks in a relaxed environment.
How Weaver Works:
The Weaver algorithm works by matching up two groups using information from their Facebook profiles and other lifestyle and preference information provided by the user. Matches are made by a combination of computer algorithms and human curation. The user is then emailed the time and location of the meet-up – called a Weaver.
All members are required to do is pick two wing-men or wing-women and show up! The cost of a Weaver is R79 per head, which covers the matching service and the first round of drinks. There is no registration fee to join Weaver, meaning you only pay for the ‘dates’ you get.
Lynch said: “Weaver takes care of everything from vetting applicants, matching you with the right person, to making a reservation at a cool, nearby location and paying for the first round of drinks. We literally enable you to meet cool people at the push of a button.”
Dobrev added: “What surprised us is that more girls than guys have signed up for the service. I believe girls are especially conscious about their environment and the ability to bring along two friends puts them at ease, and hey, if they don’t like the people they have met, they have still had a great time sharing a drink with two friends.”
My Weaver application was just accepted so I’ll let y’all know how it goes!
There were 3 things on my social check-list when I moved to Cape Town at the end of 2011: 1. Join a weekly pub quiz 2. find a karaoke bar and 3. sign up for speed dating. The latter is the only one that has been impossible to find! Hopefully Weaver is the next best thing :-)
Obs (in Cape Town) is always abuzz on Thursday nights. While others were playing pool or watching live music, myself and two good mates were enjoying our second Weaver with three interesting women.
The venue was FOREX – a small but intimate setting. It also happened to be movie night. So while others were watching Leonardo DiCaprio tripping balls on ‘The Beach’, we were enjoying a few drinks with our dates and getting to know each other.
One of the girls ran her own shop, another had lived in Russia for 6 months, while the third was a self-confessed quirkster who blogged about the awkward species known as human beings.
It was honestly really great meeting such interesting and open-minded people. While no love sparks flew (for me at least) in was good company, and a few caramel vodkas later and we were all wheelbarrowing in photos.
I would recommend Weaver to anyone who is interested in meeting new people. Be open-minded, be yourself and just relax and enjoy!
This sounds like a great way to meet new people….I definitely think it’s worth a try, I am finding it very hard to meet decent single men in the far south of Cape Town…Hopefully this will help, even just for a good laugh and fun night out.
Hey Janette, thank you for your comment.
It definitely is worth it – even if it’s just for a laugh. Worse case scenario it’s a night out with your friends and a story to tell! ;)
I do still think there is a need for proper speed dating in Cape Town for young professionals (I still can’t believe it isn’t more of a thing?) Does anyone know otherwise?
Hey Galen,
A friend of mine tried the speed dating thing a while ago, she said it was strange :) but enjoyed it anyway.
I saw this other thing called “Meetups” which looked quite interesting….a whole lot of different groups that you can join and go and meet up with them at their events. I haven’t joined any yet, but it also looks like a good idea. You can even start up your own one if none of them appeal to you.
For now I may give this Weaver one a try.
Anyway good luck out there :)
Same to you Janette! Enjoy your Weaver :)
I’m familiar with the Meet Up site. Signed up a while ago but haven’t gone as far as attending anything yet. It really is a good idea though. Here’s the link for those interested: http://www.meetup.com/find/