Launching today
PickleMatch
the dating app where your first date is pickleball
155 followers
the dating app where your first date is pickleball
155 followers
PickleMatch connects singles for pickleball dates. The app that helps you: • find people near you who also play • match based on skill level and where you play • turn that match into an actual game The first date is already planned, and it's pickleball. Time, place, and even doubles partners can be coordinated in the app. We launched in October on iOS and Android. Today we have 700+ active profiles, 1,500 people on the waitlist. People are already meeting every week.
This is great fun! I am unfortunately very happily married, so I'd love to see a non-dating focus in the future too :) Maybe a couples pickleball to meet friends and get fit too?
PickleMatch
@nick_bull1 100% We actually do have a "doubles" feature where you and the person you match with can list yourselves together to match with other teams to play doubles with!
PickleMatch
After getting out of a nearly decade-long relationship, I got on the apps and burned out fast. It was admin, forced small talk, and first dates that felt like interviews.
Then I found a simple workaround.
I had recently gotten into pickleball, so started only swiping on people who played. It gave me an easy opener. "Want to play sometime?"
It worked. I skipped the small talk and started going on actually enjoyable dates.
Most dating apps solve for the match, then dump you in a chat with a complete stranger. PickleMatch solves for meeting IRL. Your first date is sorted, and it's pickleball. It's social, fun, and affordable. You do not have to carry the conversation the whole time. The activity does that for you.
Since launching in October, the app has taken off. We have 700+ active users organising pickleball dates every weekend and have been featured on Yahoo News, Nightline, and we were even roasted on Jimmy Kimmel.
Hey @anneliese, congratulations on the PickleMatch launch!
The idea is smart. You plan the first date around pickleball. This takes away the pressure of what should we do?
I read your app description. One line is punchy: Skip the endless chatting, meet IRL on the court.
Many people are tired of texting for weeks and never meeting. One small thing I noticed. Your description says 700+ active profiles & 1,500 people on the waitlist. These are good numbers.
But it also says “100+ downloads” on the Play Store. There is a big difference between these numbers. A new user might feel confused. They may think: “If so many people are on the waitlist, why are downloads so low?”
I attached two screenshots to show what I mean.
I am curious.... how are you thinking about this? Is the waitlist mostly from iOS users? Or is something else happening?
PickleMatch
@taimur_haider1 ahh great question - we have 800+ users, but not everyone on the waitlist has downloaded because we aren't live outside of the US yet and have slowly been launching new cities in the US.
CodeYam CLI & Memory
Congrats on the launch!
A few questions:
- Can non-single but ready to pickleball mingle players join?
- Is it all-levels friendly or more geared to competitive players?
- Is it live in Denver and/or NYC?
PickleMatch
@nseldeib thanks so much Nadia, I have so much love for the PH community
It's definitely open to any/all interests and orientations. there are folks on there that are married and just looking for new doubles partners or tournament partners. You can indicate your relationship status and interests on your profile.
All-levels friendly. 15% of the people who come to our events have never played before!
Our original launch markets are CO and LA, but we've now expanded to soft-launch nationwide!
CodeYam CLI & Memory
@anneliese amazing, thanks for the details. 15% being new players is incredible! I've dabbled a bit in pickleball but am probably at a 'relearn the rules' stage before I get back into it. Looking forward to trying this out! I could see SF and NYC being popular future cities.
PickleMatch
@nseldeib totally - our events are pretty friendly towards beginners, but we're also looking at ways to surface more beginner friendly sessions in the app.
And agree... NYC is going to be huge. We're raising a small angel round now to make sure we can put enough resources before we go big there.
Congrats on the launch! Two qs:
1) Can it be used for regular pickleball matches too? Not sure if it'll be a common ask, but I imagine people who just want to play might download the app. People who are already married, like me :)
2)I like the intentional geo rollout. BUT, i have a challenge... Launch internationally! You might get surprised with traction in places you never imagined?!
PickleMatch
@pedro_branco3 thanks so much Pedro!
It's definitely open to people looking to just play pickleball and seeking new doubles or tournament partners. You can indicate your relationship status and interests on your profile :)
I'm down!! How's the pickleball scene in Brazil??
Correct me if I am wrong but the matching logic will be similar to other dating apps and instead of meeting at cafe we meet at Pickle ball? is this correct or we have a completely new logic for matching?
PickleMatch
@nayan_surya98 There are slight differences in the matching logic because there are considerations like skill level, preferred courts, and interests that make a difference in the success of a match.
But, overall, we are most interested in matching people that both have intention to meet up to play pickleball, so we try to match users who are active / responsive.
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Congrats on the launch! This is hilarious and honestly kind of genius. Taking the pressure off first dates by making it an activity is so smart. 700 active profiles already is solid. The landing page could use a bit more about how the matching actually works, the app sounds great but the site doesn't really sell it yet. Do you match based on skill level or is it more of a vibes thing?
PickleMatch
@dan16 Thank you Daniel!! And great feedback on improving clarity on the website.
Matches are based on a number of filters (location, age, skill and interests). From there users see a feed of all the nearby players who fit their preferences.
Unlike other dating apps, we don't gate-keep matches. You can see everyone who wants to match with you and everyone who matches your preferences