Many entrepreneurs get the idea for a product or service based upon a need they had themselves at some time. This is true of Michael Richard, CEO and founder of AirDates' Buckle Up - an in-flight dating app.
Speaking to Newstalk.com at Dublin Tech Summit Richard gave some insight into how the idea came about.
"I was travelling a lot, using dating apps on the ground and I wanted to use them up in the air. Buckle Up is the only in-flight dating app. It works by a combination of Wifi and Bluetooth. It allows passengers to chat and connect without any network connection."
Hello Dublin, just be ready to #buckleup pic.twitter.com/v5Ku5XYYFl
— Michael RICHARD (@MikeBuc71) February 15, 2017
The company is based in London, with a team of 10 developers working on the product.
"We in Dublin to network a bit and to smell the market," explains Richard. "Our product will be fully live in mid-May, so we want to show it off a bit and to meet with other developers and so on."
While this may sound like a niche product, the founder was keen to stress that the app has a use on the ground, as well as in the sky.
"While we are an in-flight dating app, we are also a commuting dating app. Very often, if users don't have any network connection, they play games or just look out the window. If they want to be connecting with new people on dating apps despite not having signal, they can if they use Buckle Up."
