A dating app to reactivate the restaurant industry and prevent virtual sexual harassment. These are the two banners under which Blink, a startup, presents itself. It has chosen Barcelona as its launch headquarters for a project unprecedented until now that aims to revolutionize the concept of dating by betting on in-person dates and the recovery of bars and restaurants in the Catalan capital.
Unlike the applications available on the market, Blink's conversation options through chat are much more limited and are mainly based on short questions to check compatibility between users. With the aim of reducing virtuality and promoting face-to-face interaction, the company encourages participants to meet in person at a bar, restaurant, or nightlife venue to have a conversation.
Its founder is Sabina Iman, MBA from IE Business School and former client services director at the American consultancy Omnicom Media Group. Born in Azerbaijan, she explains that she chose Barcelona for its international character and the multiple possibilities offered by a city with a "unique cultural richness." The team is completed by Uber's current designer, Akhil Joy, and Alejandro Rojas, financial director.
One of the reasons that motivated its launch was, according to Iman, "the need to develop a safe application for women" after detecting that many of them "felt vulnerable when using a dating app." One of the most recurrent criticisms of dating apps has been the sexual harassment reported by many women due to the unlimited interaction possibilities offered by the chats of applications that have appeared until now. "We want people to be able to meet safely, in public places and with the certainty of engaging in conversation with the person they expect," explains Iman.
El Cremat Bar, Roots and Rolls, Citizen Café or Electric Bar BCN are some of the 28 venues where Blink users will be able to find each other after its official launch. "Right now we are in the final testing phase and trial events with more than 250 participants. The forecast is that the application will see the light in mid-June at the latest," says the founder and CEO of Blink. The launch phase has also been marked by the concept of in-person interaction that characterizes the application. "We have distributed informative flyers by hand for several weeks with download information and an explanation of the project," she concludes.
Behind the initiative, which for now has only participated in one round of financing, are two experienced business angels: David Boronat, president and founder of the international consultancy Multiplica, and Nicolas Standaert, a Belgian entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in tech sector investments. The second round of financing, which is expected to be much larger than the first, is scheduled for the end of July.