Even though we all know someone who has met their partner through Tinder or Bumble, most of us feel less alive and let down after a night of scrolling on these apps. Andy Sorenson is a brilliant serial entrepreneur and has created an ingenious new app, Gather Social. 

If you are craving more in person events, an organic dating atmosphere and safer experiences while trying to meet the right person, this app will blow your mind! In this episode, Andy gives us all the details about the app, plus a discount code to give it a try! This week’s episode is for all you single’s looking to get back in the game without the online BS! 

In this week’s episode we discuss: 

[2:20] Where the concept for “Gather Social” came from

[4:09] Andy’s experience and opinion of current online dating

[8:14] What makes Gather Social different from other dating apps

[11:32] How to use Gather Social

[17:45] Once a member has affirmed, how are the events coordinated?

[22:22] The mission and vision of Gather Social

[26:52] Do you need to be a member to come to the events?

[28:50] What are the charges for these events and what is the credit card held for? 

[30:47] Where Gather Social has launched and where it plans to go next

[32:19] Potential investment opportunities for Gather Social

[37:30] It’s harder and harder for people to connect in real life

[41:08] Taking the safety for women seriously 

[49:22] Andy’s favorite date 

Where the concept for “Gather Social” came from

Andy found himself in the world of online dating after a divorce which was his first experience actually using dating apps versus just hearing about them. After some dates and discussions with women he had met, he realized there was a big problem to be solved in this arena. 

Overtime he did some research and also went to a single’s dinner that sparked some inspiration. He brought together his knowledge of technology and his experience with dating dinners to start something new. 

Andy’s experience and opinion of current online dating 

Right away Andy started to see the scammers and the pitfalls of lonely and bored people. He saw how so many people are there for false reasons. He saw how broken it is because you create a relationship with someone in your mind from the photographs and their lifestyle image they create. Overall, you are having a relationship with someone who does not exist and you really can’t know them until you meet them in person where you usually know right away if you have chemistry.

Online dating started with great possibility and has since moved towards a more toxic way of dating. 

What makes Gather Social different from other dating apps

The fundamental difference between Gather Social and other apps is that you do not have the ability to chat with anyone on that app until you have met them in person. The app has all of the automations that the other apps do but brings in the face-to-face interaction first. 

How to use Gather Social

The app lets you set your preferences and that gets you aligned with other people whose preferences overlap. You will be asked to fill in some personal information, like your birth date, where it’s important to be honest because eventually you will be with people who can see you lied. 

There is a bio portion but it doesn’t have to say very much, the most important part is your preferences and your region. You can also choose times and days of the week that you would prefer to go out. With these preferences the system gathers information and people who choose the same and creates an event for you all to go to. 

The events are only an hour long and do not consist of the whole evening. The groups are a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12. There is a pretty even split of females to males. 

Once a member has affirmed, how are the events coordinated?

Gather Social does not have a membership fee or contracts and it’s free to be a part of. When you say, yes – a credit card is put on hold and even if the event is canceled due to some emergency you wouldn’t be charged and would just wait for the next event. You can say “no” as many times as you want until you’ve seen an event that you like. 

After the yes, you’ll soon receive a notification with the time and location. The app gives you a full day in advance to prepare yourself for the location and event. The hosts of the events have been prequalified and are also pinged around the same time to start preparing for the event. 

The mission and vision of Gather Social 

The mission of Gather Social is to create something that is completely different from online dating and app dating. The vision is to get people in the room together and have some laughs. The vision isn’t completely about dating but to be around people that are also single and to get people out of the house. 

There’s this advice from married friends to meet people at an art class or baseball team but what if you go and you are not attracted to those people or most of them are married. Now you’re stuck in a baseball team for four months with no one you are really interested in. 

Also, you can meet other people that you can become friends with in these events because they are also single and have similar interests. 

Do you need to be a member to come to the events?

It would be considered inappropriate to bring a friend who isn’t a part of the app. There are reservations and head counts so bringing anyone not listed is not a great idea. 

What are the charges for these events and what is the credit card held for? 

The tickets are $25 dollars posted. If it’s your first time you may have an ambassador code which gives you $10 dollars of system credit. The hold is of the full amount of the event and goes through when the event actually happens. 

There are no financial relationships with the restaurant so anything you want to eat or do is up to you once you arrive and the ticket price doesn’t include that. 

Where Gather Social has launched and where it plans to go next

Andy started his launch in Vancouver, Canada and in Texas. Since the launch, he has branched out to 75 cities throughout US and Canada. As of now you may not see a lot of people in those cities when you look for people because it is still growing. 

Potential investment opportunities for Gather Social

Andy says they are at the stage of growth where they are seeking a bit more investment and discovery conversations. There are so many changes and updates happening within the app every day right now and they want to have those nailed down before huge investors because they see so much global potential. 

It’s harder and harder for people to connect in real life

Andy was so surprised to see how much this will help the younger generation because of the huge change in communication ways and the influence of COVID on their social life. Women are even saying that men are having a problem talking at all. Gather Social will give people a place to practice that overall. 

Taking the safety for women seriously 

Safety for women is extremely important to Andy and his team. They focus on addressing harassment and they do that by not sharing your contact information at all. For 36 hours after the event the chat channels are open through the app for you to choose to engage with someone you met or wish you would have talked to a bit more. This leaves room for sharing numbers if you would like and go a bit further after you have met them in person. 

The ticket price and payment also weeds out people who are not serious about the experience and creates a better experience for those who really want to meet new people in a safe and healthy way. The events are also in very public places and that helps with safety as well. 

Andy’s favorite date 

There was a bluegrass jazz crossover band at a very fun local venue in downtown Vancouver that he and a woman he was very attracted to went together. In the end, she wasn’t as attracted to him as he was to her but they are still friends and it was such a fun experience. The best dates have a deeper connection that comes from it. 

Connect with Andy

Website 

App Download

Code for $10 off today is UNT532 and that is ambassador code, if you’re interested in becoming an ambassador you can email Andrew at: andrew@getgather.app