Publications
Publications
- January 2022
- HBS Case Collection
Dating Ring
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Lindsay N. Hyde
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; 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.
About The Authors
