we’re alive! the first days of likelike, for future posterity (hopefully!) or the trash bin (bummer :( )

Hey y'all, it’s Natalie! As you’ll know by now, I’m the founder of likelike, and I’m here to try to make dating suck less.

I’m writing this on day… gosh, I’m not sure. Day 20 or so? We’re early days here at likelike. It started with an idea that genuinely my partner and I drew on our kitchen cupboards after a night of neurodiverse hyper-focus. What a time to be alive!

Gosh, where to start. Here’s a brief history of likelike so far since starting in June last year (2024), in no particular order (well, maybe some particular order):
I reached out to a few product designer friends for help, got a few meetings in, and then I lost focus on the app.
I created a brand guide (check it out here!), an early pitch deck (check it out here!), and some basic marketing.
I reached out to a sociologist (more on this later) to ask sociology students who had written theses on dating apps what they thought of the concept, and they all expressed interest.
I ran an early feedback survey (you can see the results here!) asking people whether it was a concept that resonated.
I got stuck and wasn’t sure how to continue without a designed prototype and a software developer, so I reached out to a startup Founder for whom I previously worked and they suggested Lovable.ai.
I got my first prototype up and running on Lovable.ai, Supabase, and Resend for the full end to end beta programme.
I signed up for Lovable.AI’s Shipped programme, and I’m hoping to get some grants to fund further development.
My lovely partner Jack has started fixing the AI’s loving efforts, to ensure that the app is actually hooked up properly. Lots to do on that!
I hooked up the end to end user beta and sign-up journey, including welcome emails, a feedback form, and this blog!

Holy smokes, what a year! It’s not been easy, in between quitting a job that I absolutely was not suited for nor was the right environment for me, taking a sabbatical to figure out my life, and then getting a full-time job, and also considering the autism. But with the support of an amazing partner and dog (her name is Suki!), we’re here!

I’m so excited to be sharing this journey with you, and have you along for the ride. We have some amazing things coming up to share with you, some feedback to get from you, some improvements to make, and hopefully some funding to help turn this little dream into a rocket ship!

Welcome, we’re so happy you’re here!

Natalie, likelike Founder and Head Dreamer