Dating Blind on the Internet

A new, Chicago-based dating service is expanding to the Raleigh area.Project Fixup is a dating website which prides itself on providing an easier dating experience where their clients “meet people, not profiles.” 

“My friends and I had tried conventional online dating websites, but these methods were too time intensive, which didn’t make sense to me,” said Sarah Press, co-founder and CEO of Project FixUp and a UNC Chapel Hill graduate. 

This is what spurred Press to co-found Project Fixup, which aims to bring a certain level of ease to online dating. 

“With Project Fixup, we really wanted to bring a level of ease to meeting someone, rather than dealing with messages and profiles,” Press said. 

And that is exactly what Press has done with Project Fixup. 

“We don’t consider ourselves ‘online dating’ because we don’t have a messaging platform,” Press said. 

Press said that clients who join Project Fixup simply tell a “fixup specialist” what types of dates they want to go on, and the specialist will pair members of Project Fixup together based on their compatibility. 

As for these fix-up specialists, Press said they don’t have to have experience with matchmaking. 

“We look for people who are passionate about people and their happiness,” Press said. 

Members of Project Fixup don’t have to sort through profiles or message potential dates online. They simply let a fix-up specialist set them up on a date with someone of potential compatibility in the area. 

Once two people are matched together, Press said that each person is provided with a short paragraph about what the two have in common and why they would be a good match. 

“We want the focus to be on meeting in person, rather than online through a detailed profile,” Press said.

Press said that not getting all of the details prior to going out on the date creates a sense of mystery and intrigue for both parties.

In addition to choosing the person, the fix-up specialist will also choose a venue where the date will take place. 

Press said that letting a fix-up specialist set up the logistics of the date adds ease and efficiency to the dating process.

There is no fee to join Project Fixup, though each fix-up costs $20. 

Additionally, Press said Project Fixup is a way for people to discover new places in the area by getting them to go on dates in these places. 

Press said Project Fixup is looking for casual places that are good for conversation where they can send clients on fix-ups. 

Project Fixup is currently available in Chicago, San Francisco and now Raleigh. It is currently looking to partner with certain locations in Raleigh where it can send its clients on dates.

Raleigh was chosen ahead of cities such as New York City and Washington D.C. as Project Fixup’s first East Coast city for various reasons. 

“The Raleigh area has a high density of young professionals, which is our target market,” said Press. 

Some NC State students are open to the idea of using Project Fixup, like Gabriel Morales-Gagnon, a freshman studying management.

“If I had the chance, I would try it, but I have a girlfriend,” Morales-Gagnon said.

Kelly Clute, a sophomore studying nutrition science, thinks Project Fixup sounds efficient. 

 “I think it sounds more practical for people who don’t want to spend the time looking through so many profiles, but I wouldn’t use it; I think it’s more geared toward older generations,” Clute said. 

Press said that after Raleigh, Project Fixup is looking to expand to New York City, as well as develop a mobile app to add even more ease to the dating process.

More information about Project Fixup can be found at www.projectfixup.com.

Press said that with the code “wolfpack” all NC State students and alumni will receive a free fix-up credit worth $20.