How it started

I met my girlfriend in my third year at the University of Virginia. She was a year younger and going into a five-year master's program, so upon my graduation, we embarked on a two-year long-distance journey. Between different schedules, Facetime calls of very divided attention, and a lack of shared experiences, I found it incredibly hard to communicate with her. Planning an activity over Facetime was so much work and I often wouldn't feel that spark when we would call each other. My roommate at the time was also in a long-distance relationship, and I couldn’t help but think there was a lack of resources to help couples like us through the distance. It was as if we long-distancers were “dating” in name only. Where were the dates? Long-distance isn’t uncommon; in fact, it’s incredibly common. Over 28 million people in the U.S. are in long-distance relationships (LDRs) and the majority of college students have been in an LDR at some point during their tenure. Society has grown to accept distance as an issue, but that doesn’t have to be the case.

Creating “virtual dates for long-distance couples” perfectly aligned with my skill set. I had a background in game development and after college, I was a software engineer at Yext. I was uniquely positioned to solve my own issues, so I started working on Lovedove. My first idea was to pair a virtual date theme with a subscription box service that delivered couples the required materials. These date themes would range from painting classes, to game shows and everything in-between. To start, I prototyped a Minute to Win it date. If you’re not familiar with Guy Fieri’s hit game show then I urge you to check it out. You have 60 seconds to complete tasks using objects found around the house. Some of these challenges were keeping three balloons up at once, working an Oreo from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands, or racing to pull the tissues out of a tissue box. I packed up all the materials needed for the games, sent them to Charlottesville, and created a basic platform where we could video call, read instructions, and watch recordings of ourselves completing the challenges. My girlfriend loved it, but the real magic came from integrating the video call with the actual date. By dropping the physical aspect, I could create globally accessible game-like experiences and take this idea to the next level. I pivoted and started working on a trivia date where couples were placed in a 3d set as if actually on a game show. I asked several long-distance friends to try out the MVP and they loved it. Shortly after, I quit my job to pursue this labor of love, turned business idea.

About two months in, almost 100 users signed up overnight and began using the platform. I only told my close friends about Lovedove and I was incredibly confused by this influx of users. As it turns out, this traffic was because my friend’s girlfriend commented on a TikTok about Lovedove. I wasn't ready for this many people to be using the platform and despite many issues, I was flooded with insanely positive feedback. This affirmed my belief that many long-distance couples are dying for a product in the space and that my vision resonated with them.

Fast forward to now, Lovedove has grown its collection of dates and is quickly gaining users around the globe. I’m incredibly excited about what the future holds and I hope that you all will join me along the way.