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  • January 2022
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Dating Ring

By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lindsay N. Hyde
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:13
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Abstract

In 2015, the co-founders of Dating Ring, an online dating startup that relied on human matchmakers to arrange dates between its members, were deciding whether to either shut down the service or instead manage Dating Ring as a "lifestyle company," ramping down growth expectations, abandoning plans to raise more venture capital, and keeping tight control over costs. Dating Ring's founders originally aimed to achieve a billion dollar valuation, and their participation in the elite Y Combinator accelerator has stoked their ambitions. However, growth had subsequently sputtered and the founders had not been able to raise more venture capital.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship; Failure; Business Exit or Shutdown; Internet and the Web; Venture Capital; Service Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

Citation

Eisenmann, Thomas R., and Lindsay N. Hyde. "Dating Ring." Harvard Business School Case 822-013, January 2022.
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About The Authors

Thomas R. Eisenmann

Entrepreneurial Management
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Lindsay N. Hyde

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Authors
  • RightHand Robotics: Choosing the First Market By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Stacy Straaberg
  • Quotient By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Matt Higgins
  • Wilshire Lane Capital By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Lindsay N. Hyde and Stacy Straaberg
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