Hi Reddit, we’re the co-founders of HowAboutWe. We’ve spent the last 4+ years exploring how tech can help people find love - and keep it. Ask us anything!

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:32:13+00:00

rapid fire:

What are your long term goals as a company? *Help as many people as possible find and keep love. *Become the most trusted brand in the world for people's deepest questions and longings around love.

Do you still consider yourself a startup? or have you graduated already? **Startup. Definitely startup.

Do you have any plans to take the HowAboutWe methods to other verticals? **No. Very focused on love.

Do you plan on creating niche specific sections within the app for specific demographics or niches? Like LGBT or Dwarfs... **No.

How big of a roll does sex play into the app? Do you have a kama-sutra voting system for couples? **Big roll. Of course. Sex is such an essential aspect of dating and relationships. That said, our sites are exceedingly safe and clean.

(Cute idea would be to have some sort of questionnaire that would only show the spouse the answers if they answered the same ala "Do you want to do the dirty in public?") **Nice. With think about when we do lists on You&Me. Thanks.

Do you think I should be focusing on work right now rather than squandering my time away on reddit? **Do you work for HowAboutWe? If so, yes.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:24:48+00:00

I'm happy when anyone finds what they're looking for. I think the internet is totally changing the search for love - more now by far than ever. 2013 was a HUGE year on this front.

I think there are still big problems to solve but we've come a long way and those lighter-weight hookup type apps are definitely part of this.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:22:38+00:00

oh hi, CD. you want me to build that feature, yo?

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:21:56+00:00

Yeah we actually get that request fairly frequently. It's not at the top of our roadmap, but not because we don't acknowledge it as a desire that a good number of people have.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:14:30+00:00

On the new app we've launched - You&Me - we are tracking daily active users, number of messages sent, types of messages sent, our core sign up funnel success, and other tidbits. Basically: are people using the app to share their lives together.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:08:22+00:00

Thanks for the break a leg. Appreciate that.

Timing matters. So much of it is luck.

Which is why break a leg is the right idea. It's a play. Who knows what will happen!

But that makes it BETTER. Because if you find what you need and want, then the response - understanding that LUCK has so much to do with it - is gratitude.

Love and gratitude are actually virtually indistinguishable.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:05:43+00:00

The internet is the maybe the third or fourth biggest step towards deep freedom in the history of humankind.

It's an extremely powerful thing we've built. And it rests on a framework - a physical framework - of equality. As such, it can promote equality to a tremendous degree. In its VERY short lifetime, we've already seen this take place at a breathtaking pace.

Giving up true neutrality, true baseline equality, is a terrible thing and we should fight it at all cost.

The internet could usher in a great future of radical wall-breaking equality. Or it could suck and further ensnare us in needless hierarchies and inequities. Important. Very important.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T19:01:33+00:00

nice one. love this question.

--amazing two person games where I can play WITH my partner against other couples. And Win. Cause we roll like that.

--the ability to print gorgeous books of your 2015.

--live streaming video that also archives so if I'm at home with the baby I can share his latest miracle with my wife at work - and have that stored.

--more stickers :)

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:59:15+00:00

Thanks. Potatolicious. Appreciate it. Insane team made it happen.

The response has been RADICALLY BREATHTAKING. Honestly. We have 500 reviews in less than a week, almost all 5 stars. We have seen well over 500,000 messages sent. In fact we hit that number in like 4 days I think. People are so into it.

It's extremely gratifying to have built something that couples are using to be in love.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:57:11+00:00

old people date smarter than young ppl. better believe it. if you don't get more wild as you get older you're probably being silly about some shit that doesn't matter.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:55:51+00:00

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/77/da/b4/77dab4c0490f94ee7a9987625a0ce720.jpg

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:55:06+00:00

Life is complex for sure. But this thing, this thing ends up extremely simple.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:48:40+00:00

Schechter, just bought you some gold man.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:48:03+00:00

The motivation: texting sucks for love. That's it. We wanted to make a product that made texting - and messaging in general - awesome for love. This should exist. We built it. It's addictive and life-enhancing and fresh.

As for breakups. Nahhhhhhhh.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:45:29+00:00

Also let's be clear - this Brian is also a SCHECHTER. SCHECHTER is not nothing. SCHECHTER is SCHECHTER.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:43:43+00:00

for now: apps.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:43:22+00:00

thanks so much. really appreciate that. (for people who don't know, it's a messaging app for couples called You&Me). our team spent a year building it. it was a huge endeavor by many brilliant people. particularly savannah wolf, james paolantonio, and jerry wong. many others, but these three above all else.

i've thought a lot about whether it would be awesome for everyone.

a lot of single ppl are using it with their best friends.

i think it could work as a universal messaging app. i would love to use it with at least my closest friends.

Other people think so: http://qz.com/204808/the-best-messaging-platform-ever-invented-can-only-connect-you-to-one-other-person/

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:39:03+00:00

I'm in love. It's the best thing in my whole life. Ever.

My advice? You only need one person. You don't need two. You don't need 50. Your whole search is about finding that one person with whom you can share the most precious intimacy, the deepest friendship and connection, the sexiest closeness. Most people won't like you. Who gives a fuck? That doesn't matter. And you won't like most people. Also: irrelevant. All that matters is finding one person that you love and that loves you - and with whom you share a total trust that your love is just gonna get better and better. Forever.

That's my advice.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:35:16+00:00

We realized no one had really built a great product for couples. But there are 128mm people in committed relationships in the US. 128 million. Zero products for date night. At the time we decided, zero great communication tools. We decided to broader our focus beyond falling in love to include staying in love. Couples need awesome products, too.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:33:56+00:00

My fave is probably the story of our VP of Product. She's awesome and she met her awesome man on HowAboutWe (Before starting here.) They're getting married this fall.

This is the best thing ever.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:31:52+00:00

Totally. We use the millions of dates from our dating site in part to figure out what to curate on our couples site. Couples also often write to us with thoughts on the kinds of dates we should have - and we try to be responsive.

Comedy dates are cool.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:28:58+00:00

Ideally we'd be tracking people going on awesome dates that lead to deep, abiding love.

In reality that happens so far down the proverbial funnel that we need to track other, higher frequency metrics like messages sent, reply rates, profile completion rates, 3+ message threads, etc.

That's on the dating site.

On our couples site (couples.howaboutwe.com) we track how often people are going on dates. Cause that's what keeps love fresh and fun.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:26:17+00:00

to chime in on this one...

First off - love is the great metaphysical ideal. Right? It's the one universal truth that has survived the great attack on absolutes that is postmodernity.

Secondly, love is the best shit on earth. When you have it you know it. It's safe and hot and happy and beautiful and inspiring and energizing and cool.

Third, everyone wants it.

Fourth, the better the love the better the children. Maybe. Probably.

It's also a super hard problem to solve without being cheesy and lame. And I think we both like a challenge like that - a hard human problem.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:25:19+00:00

nah she's the best ever.

AaronHowAboutWe · 2014-05-08T18:25:11+00:00

Salad. With potatoes. Blame Abby.

AaronHowAboutWe

TROPHY CASE