Coupler

The idea

Making friends as a couple is hard: all four people have to click, and couples who move to a new city feel it most. Coupler let partners link their accounts, browse other couples together, and start a group chat when both couples were interested, based on shared interests and where they live.

What I did

I started Shoal Interactive in New Hampshire with a designer and a developer as co-founders, and ran it as CEO through launch. I set the product vision and roadmap, set up the company, pitched local advisors, managed the build, and then led marketing.

We built the app in React Native, so one codebase gave us real apps for iPhone and Android that looked and worked the same. We did almost everything ourselves, from the app to the website and promo content, and kept costs very low. The design changed over several rounds of feedback before launch.

The result

Coupler launched on Google Play and then the App Store in 2018, and it grew through its website and search alone, with no paid marketing. The Washington Post featured it and quoted me in a story on why couples want couple friends.

What I learned

• A founder does a bit of everything until someone better can take each job over.
• A designer as the third co-founder made the product look and work better from day one.
• Ask “can we do that ourselves?” before every expense.
• One codebase for both phones kept the apps in step, so nobody waited for their version.
• Advice is free: many of our best product changes came from conversations.