First Round’s On Me (FROM) is a social dating app designed to foster genuine, in-person connections. Pulse 2.0 interviewed First Round’s On Me’s founder and CEO Joe Feminella to learn more about the company.
Joe Feminella’s Background
What is Joe Feminella’s background? Feminella said:
“I was born and raised in Staten Island, NY, and one of the things I cherished most growing up was how close my family was—especially the love my mom and dad shared.
Like many kids, my dream was always to do something big with my life. Initially, that dream revolved around sports, but once I realized that wasn’t my path, I moved to NYC and landed what I thought was my dream job in finance as a bond trader. However, I quickly realized it wasn’t my true passion.
Taking a big risk, I decided to pivot into technology. During that transition, I started building the concept for First Round’s On Me (FROM), combining my passion for innovation with my desire to create something meaningful.”
Formation Of FROM
How did the idea for the company come together? Feminella shared:
“The idea came to me around 2016/17 in NYC when I realized that almost everyone was using dating apps. Despite their popularity, nearly everyone I spoke to—including myself—didn’t actually enjoy the experience. I started to dig into why we all felt this way, and the biggest issue was how inorganic the whole process felt. This really struck a chord with me because my parents met at a bar, in the most organic way possible, and that’s how I always imagined I’d meet my partner too. I wanted to bridge that gap—to make using a dating app feel more real and organic, blending the convenience of technology with the authenticity of in-real-life (IRL) connections.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Feminella reflected:
“My favorite memory is really the journey as a whole. In the early days of the company, I was standing on street corners, handing out free coffee and drinks to anyone who would download the app. It was a true grassroots effort.
Today, I’m fortunate to have an incredible team that has grown the business with me over the past two years. Building relationships with the people who are now part of the FROM family has been the most exciting and fulfilling part of this journey.
On top of that, the positive feedback we receive about how we’re solving the gaps in dating apps is incredibly rewarding. It’s proof that we’re accomplishing what we set out to do.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Feminella explained:
“The company’s core features revolve around three key differentiators:
- Pick a Drink, Time, and Place
The first point of contact is sending someone an actual date request. This is important because it encourages users to be intentional about who they want to meet, rather than mindlessly swiping. It also addresses one of the top complaints from women: that men often struggle to plan a date. By providing a simple, structured way to set up plans, we alleviate that stress and make the process seamless. - One Date Per Day
Science shows that humans can focus on only 3–5 new connections at a time. That’s why, once two users accept a date for a particular day, that day is locked in their calendar. This approach allows users to focus their energy on one meaningful connection at a time, promoting quality over quantity. - Chat Box Opens 24 Hours Before the Date
This feature eliminates the problem of “pen pals” and helps keep the first date organic. Often, natural ice-breaking questions get overused in text exchanges, making the in-person encounter feel awkward. By limiting chat to 24 hours before the date, users have just enough time to feel each other out while still maintaining the excitement and spontaneity of meeting in person.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Feminella and the team faced in building the company? Feminella acknowledged:
“Every day we find a challenge that we can overcome as a team! Not only do we have to compete with the big players (Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge), but we are also seeing new dating apps pop up every week. Some of them are very similar to our concept. I think this is a good thing though, as it shows that we are ahead of the trend with this new wave of dating and more and more people are excited for the new wave of apps. It is always a challenge with all the competition, but we just put our heads down and focus on our mission, and if we do that no one will be able to stop us.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Feminella noted:
“Every day brings a new challenge for us to overcome as a team. Not only are we competing with industry giants like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, but we’re also seeing new dating apps pop up almost weekly—some with concepts very similar to ours.
I see this as a positive, though. It’s a sign that we’re ahead of the curve with this new wave of dating, and it’s exciting to see more people embracing innovative approaches like ours.
While the competition is fierce, we stay focused on our mission. We believe that if we keep our heads down and remain dedicated to our vision, no one will be able to stop us.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Feminella cited:
“The company has achieved some incredible milestones: over 300,000 downloads, 200,000 users, 500,000 dates sent, and 10,000 dates completed. We’ve also grown from being available in just 12 cities to nationwide coverage. Thanks to all this hard work and progress, we successfully secured a $3 million funding round in August.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Feminella about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“Yes, we celebrated our first marriage through the app earlier this spring. A couple from Philadelphia reached out to share that they met on our platform and had recently gotten engaged. We even featured them on a podcast episode where they shared their story and walked us through the entire process. Moments like this are the very reason we do what we do.”
Funding
When asking Feminella about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“Yes, we have raised $5M to date, our most recent round was $3M. We are also a revenue-generating company.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Feminella assessed:
“The dating industry is enormous, with a total addressable market (TAM) of over $10 billion—and it continues to grow every year. Globally, there are 400 million dating app users, yet in the U.S., 70% of users report dissatisfaction with their experience. This creates significant opportunities for growth and innovation, especially for new players in the space.
We’ve seen highly encouraging metrics, including a paid customer acquisition cost (CAC) of just $3, and 4% of our users converting to subscribers—which is above the industry average.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Feminella affirmed:
“Our focus is on facilitating and encouraging people to meet in real life. Unlike many other apps that prioritize keeping users on their platform and treating retention like a social media metric, we’re dedicated to helping people genuinely connect with others. We achieve this through the key differentiators I mentioned earlier, which set us apart and drive real-world connections.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Feminella pointed out:
“Our goals are to go international at some point this year, as well as grow our internal team. We would love to hit 1 Million downloads by this time next year. FROM’s long-term vision is also to be more of a social app for all, than a dating app for singles.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Feminella concluded:
“I think it is important to note that we are building a brand not just an app. We have events, podcasts, social media platforms, as well as many other things in the works that show that we are becoming a movement in the human connection space. We want to build a strong community because in 2025, what makes a great company is one that has a strong brand that stands for something.”
