I'm Tim, the founder of MOOD Social & Dating.
After years of using dating apps, I kept living the same moment: we match, someone says "Hey," we trade a couple of small-talk messages, and then we fall into the same awkward question — "So… what are you looking for?"
I built MOOD because every dating app starts the same way: swipe, match, then spend days trying to decode intent. That ambiguity creates wasted time, emotional burnout, and churn. MOOD flips the model: intent comes first. Users pick a real-time MOOD (friends, casual, long-term, alternative), only see people who chose the same, and connect through a patent-pending offer/counter engine that replaces vague “hey” messages with clear proposals someone can accept, decline, or counter.
Every dating app on the market shares the same broken flow: swipe on faces, match, then spend days trying to figure out what the other person actually wants. It's a tax on every user's time, energy, and emotional wellbeing.
The result? Wasted dates, emotional burnout, and a $4.9 billion industry built on a model that profits from confusion rather than clarity. Users churn between apps hoping the next one will be different — but they all share the same core design flaw: intent comes last, not first.
MOOD is built on a simple principle: tell us what you want before you see anyone. This one change eliminates the ambiguity that plagues every other dating app.
Users declare what they want before seeing anyone. No guessing. 15 real-time MOOD categories — from "Just Friends" to "Long-Term Relationship" to "Public Meetup" — cover the full spectrum of human connection. Change your mood anytime.
Instead of vague "hey" messages, users send preselected proposals. The other person can accept, decline, or counter with a different suggestion. Every interaction starts with clarity and mutual respect.
Every accept, decline, and counter generates behavioral data that improves matching over time. Unlike swipes, our data reveals actual intent — not just physical attraction. This creates a compounding data advantage that deepens with every interaction.
The market is ready for someone to solve intent alignment. MOOD is built to be that solution.
The major incumbents are publicly struggling. Tinder's revenue is declining. Bumble's stock is under pressure. Match Group has acknowledged swipe fatigue in their own earnings calls. Yet none of them are addressing the root cause: ambiguous intent. They're optimizing engagement loops while users are begging for alignment.
Meanwhile, cultural openness around relationship structures, dating preferences, and honest communication is at an all-time high. The gap between what users want and what the market offers has never been wider.
We built and launched an MVP beta in two small test markets — Lafayette, LA and Omaha, NE — with zero paid marketing spend. The results validated our core thesis:
These numbers were achieved in small markets with no paid acquisition — purely organic word-of-mouth. Qualitative feedback was consistently strong, particularly around the clarity of intent and the overall user experience.
Key Takeaway: Users immediately understood and valued the intent-first model. The offer/counter mechanic generated meaningful conversations faster than traditional messaging. We've also filed for patent protection on our core engagement engine.
*** Review of our patent (pending): DOWNLOAD HERE
The U.S. online dating market is massive, growing, and increasingly frustrated with the status quo.
We don't need to capture a huge share to build a meaningful business. Just 1% of our SOM = 400,000 users. At $18 ARPU, that's $86M in annual recurring revenue from our initial markets alone.
The dating app market is projected to grow at 13% CAGR through 2030, driven by increasing smartphone penetration, cultural normalization of online dating, and growing demand for niche and intent-specific platforms.
MOOD monetizes through two complementary channels: user subscriptions and B2B preferred partner placements.
The core MOOD experience is free — this grows the network. Premium tiers unlock more control, visibility, and safety features:
Plus a unique try-before-you-buy option: any premium feature for 7 days at $0.99. This reduces friction and drives conversion.
Local businesses (coffee shops, bars, fitness studios, venues) advertise directly in MOOD grids — contextually relevant to what users are planning. This is native, not intrusive.
Our primary competitors are Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, and niche alternatives like Feeld. They all compete for attention and relationships, but they share a common model: swipe or scroll, hope for a match, then figure out intent later in chat.
"Why can't Bumble just add a mood feature?" — They could add a filter. But MOOD's entire architecture, data model, and engagement loop is built around intent. Bolting intent onto a swipe app is like adding a salad menu to a fast-food restaurant: it doesn't change the core experience. Our patent-pending offer/counter mechanic, density-first city launches, and behavioral data flywheel create defensibility that goes deeper than a feature.
Dating apps fail when they launch thin — a few users spread across an entire country creates an empty, broken experience. MOOD solves this with concentrated city launches powered by three growth engines:
Wave 1: Austin (Hero City), Lafayette, Denver, New Orleans, Atlanta
Wave 2: NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco
Waves 3–4: 23 additional markets across the U.S.
Each city gets a custom MOOD mix tailored to local culture. Austin leads with Event Friends and Study Buddies. San Francisco leads with values-driven and LGBTQ+ community MOODs. Denver leads with Public Meetup and outdoor social. This "MOOD-by-city" approach is our go-to-market weapon.
We model three scenarios based on conversion rates, city expansion pace, and partner density:
The B2B partner channel is the accelerant: 30 partners/city × 15 cities = $450K/mo in B2B revenue alone — diversified, recurring, and not dependent on individual user payments.
15 years of technical and leadership experience. 13 years as a founder/operator. Over a decade of firsthand experience using dating apps — I've lived this problem. My background spans from managing top-rated regional businesses to signing off conditional acceptance of an $800M ultra-deepwater drillship for Chevron. I know how to build teams, manage complexity, and execute under pressure.
15+ years in web development. 10+ years building APIs and scalable systems, including high-traffic consumer apps. Fabio leads the technology strategy and delivery of the MOOD platform across mobile and backend systems. He brings the deep engineering expertise needed to build a real-time, intent-driven social platform at scale.
Minimum $500k Raise Achieves
The Wefunder community round is more than capital. It's strategic.
MOOD is a product built for people who are tired of the status quo in dating. Those people are our ideal investors. When our earliest supporters and users become owners, they become an extension of our marketing engine, our feedback loop, and our accountability system.
Wefunder investors have real skin in the game to help us refine the product, spread the word, and keep us honest about delivering on our promise. In the long term, we want MOOD to feel co-created by the people who use it — and inviting the crowd onto our cap table is a concrete way to make that happen.
What exactly is MOOD in one sentence?
MOOD is an intent-first social and dating tool where you choose what you're looking for right now, only see people who want the same thing, and connect through structured offers instead of vague messages.
What makes the Offer/Counter system different from just messaging?
Traditional messaging is open-ended and ambiguous — "Hey, what's up?" tells you nothing. MOOD's offer/counter system gives users preselected proposals they can accept, decline, or counter. It turns the first interaction into a clear, respectful negotiation of intent, not a guessing game. Every response generates high-signal data about what works.
Why can't a big player like Bumble just copy this?
They could add an intent filter. But MOOD's entire architecture — data model, engagement loop, matching engine, and user experience — is built around intent from the ground up. Our patent-pending offer/counter mechanic, city-by-city density strategy, and behavioral data flywheel create defensibility that goes deeper than any single feature. Bolting intent onto a swipe app doesn't change the core experience.
How do you solve the "chicken and egg" problem of a new dating app?
Density-first city launches. We don't go broad — we go deep. In each city, we recruit 25–50 ambassadors, onboard 15–40 local business partners, and host MOOD-specific launch events before opening to the public. We build 200+ profiles before launch day so the first experience feels alive. This is the same playbook that worked for Bumble, Hinge, and The League in their early stages.
What are the 15 MOOD categories?
MOOD categories span the full spectrum of human connection: Just Friends, Public Meetup, Event Friends, Study Buddies, N.A.T.O. (Not Attached To an Outcome), Long-Term Relationship, Casual Dating, NSA, Discreet, LGBTQ+ Community, Kink & Fetish, Third/Couple, 420 Friends, Ladies First, and Politics. Each city launches with 3 "hero MOODs" tailored to local culture.
How big is the raise, and what instrument are you using?
We're raising $500,000 via a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) with a $6M post-money valuation cap, including the Wefunder community round. This gives us 18 months of runway to ship V1, launch in 5 hero cities, validate unit economics, and position for an institutional Seed round.
What does success look like in 5 years?
MOOD as the default tool people open when they want honest, intent-aligned connection — across dozens of cities, with millions of users, strong recurring revenue from subscriptions and partner placements, and a reputation as the place where people can safely express what they're actually looking for.
What are the main risks?
The main risks include: achieving product-market fit at scale, high competition and potential feature copying by incumbents, reaching sufficient user density in each city, monetization uncertainty, and typical technology/regulatory/moderation risks. We address these by testing assumptions early, launching narrow before going broad, and designing our roadmap to iterate quickly based on real data.
Investing in startups is risky. Please read and consider the following risks carefully.
Product-Market Fit: We have not yet launched V1 at scale. Our beta results are encouraging but limited to two small markets. There is no guarantee that the product will achieve broad adoption.
Competition: The dating app market is dominated by well-funded incumbents (Match Group, Bumble Inc.) who could develop similar features. New entrants also compete for user attention.
Network Effects / Liquidity: Dating apps require sufficient user density in each market to function. Failing to reach critical mass in a given city could result in poor user experiences and high churn.
Monetization: Our revenue model assumptions (CAC, ARPU, conversion rates, partner revenue) are based on industry benchmarks and projections, not proven at scale for MOOD specifically.
Capital Needs: This raise is intended to fund V1 and initial city launches. Additional capital will be required to scale beyond the initial 5 cities. There is no guarantee of future funding.
Regulatory & Safety: Social and dating platforms face evolving content moderation, privacy, and safety regulations. Compliance costs may be significant.
Early Stage: MOOD is a pre-revenue company. The team is small. Execution risk is inherent at this stage. Investors should be prepared for the possibility of total loss of investment.
Tim Hand, Founder & Interim CEO will provide detailed updates every 3 months for all investors to stay informed on the company's plan and growth. This includes annual financial reporting. These inside-look, candid updates are not unlike the videos you see on this page. This will be straight from a CEO's desk, sharing behind the scenes insight into the company as it grows.
So as an investor you will always feel you are right alongside us as we grow MOOD Social & Dating.
*** NOTE: video updates will be easily accessed via YouTube
***for those who want to dig deep: DOWNLOAD HERE
*** DOWNLOAD HERE
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669.263.4467 / 337.303.5262
MOOD is building the intent layer for human connection. We'd love to have you join us.Space is limited ...