In a spread out, transient city like Phoenix, connecting with others in the community can be difficult. The founders behind Monarq are looking to help this gap by creating a platform where women can meet and develop friendships.
“We found a deep need for connection,” Monarq co-founder Irene Ryabaya said. “There’s not an easy way to meet new people. We could be that source for connection.”
The app follows a one-on-one match, swipe model. Users can decide if they want to connect with another woman or not based on the information provided, and if both decide to connect when they are matched.
“We took that model and applied it to what we are doing,” co-founder Diana Murakhovskaya said.
Users begin by signing in with their Facebook account and complete a profile with their top four preferred interests, location, family life and philosophy of life.
From there, similar to a Tinder model, the user swipes through and choose other women that have similar interests.
Once a match occurs, an ice breaker question is provided to both women, then it’s up to the individuals to connect through the messaging function.
The company launched their app on October 30 in Phoenix. They chose Phoenix because it’s the 5th largest city and a great market to introduce that app because of its sprawl.
Currently they are focused on customer acquisition, “Right now it’s all about growth,” Murakhovskaya said.
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The company has accrued nearly 45 ambassadors to help market the app, with close to 10 of those ambassadors located in Phoenix who are focused on recruiting women to use the app.
“The ambassador program actually started when we got a lot of emails with people asking how they could help and how they could be involved,” Murakhovskaya said.
Monarq also offers meetup events that include everything from healthy talks and networking events to coffee time and holiday parties. “We try to make the events as diverse as possible,” Ryabaya said.
The startup is currently self-funded. The co-founders are looking to expand to New York and Houston.
“Houston is very similar to Phoenix. It’s very transient and really hard to meet people,” Murakhovskaya said.
The app is available for iPhone, but not Android.
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Photos courtesy of Monarq
