Startup founders are looking to dating app-like interfaces to find their coworking soulmates.
Just as apps have made finding love a swipe away, a wave of new tech platforms is emerging to match like-minded innovators with potential co-founders, advisors and collaborators. Take, for instance, CoffeeSpace, a Hinge-inspired app built to help aspiring founders find the right partner for their startup ventures.
“We believe CoffeeSpace will change the nature of how people can find business partners, just like what Tinder did for online dating 10 years ago,” CEO Hazim Mohamad told TechCrunch.
Dating app models have proven popular. PYMNTS Intelligence research from last year revealed that 55% of Generation Z consumers and half of millennials use these apps daily. Further findings from the study revealed that, across generations, 27% of consumers engage with these platforms.
Dating app Bumble is providing a similar service with its Bumble Bizz offering, enabling people to swipe to professionally network with others in their area.
“Networking shouldn’t feel so hard or, worse, uncomfortable,” the company said on its website. “We’ve made it so you can make life-changing connections at your own pace, on your own terms.”
Despite the service having been around for seven years, however, it may not make up a large portion of the app’s business, as executives have not discussed the performance of this offering in any detail since the company’s going public in 2021.
Not all efforts to dating app-ify networking have had staying power. Shapr, a professional networking app that used a swiping-based interface and a matchmaking algorithm to connect people professionally, founded in 2015, was evidently shut down after its acquisition by talent management company Lincoln in 2023. The app is no longer available, and the webpage is defunct.
Dating apps, for their part, are gearing up for cuffing season, when single people look for partners with whom to spend the cold winter months. This phenomenon is visible in data — at least to an extent.
According to Tinder, the period between New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day sees 11.4 million more messages sent globally than the year-round average for a timespan of the same length. It also sees 58.7 million more likes sent than usual. In this period, 2,263 pictures are uploaded to users’ profiles per minute. The first Sunday of the year has garnered the name “Dating Sunday” for consistently yielding peak engagement.
The allure of matchmaking is reshaping the way founders seek collaborators, bringing the familiar swipe-and-match format into the startup ecosystem. As platforms like CoffeeSpace apply a romantic approach to business networking, they’re capitalizing on the appeal of personalized connections in a world driven by technology.
However, the mixed success of previous attempts, such as Shapr’s rise and fall, underscores the challenges inherent in translating dating app dynamics into professional networking. Whether this trend becomes a mainstay or fades, it highlights an ongoing desire for meaningful partnerships in the business world — connections that feel less transactional and more akin to finding a kindred spirit.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
