The Story

When we left off, Lauren was in a difficult spot. She was having trouble fundraising and feeling like her company was a complete failure. But then, she got some sage advice from another founder who told her the most important thing founders can do -- beyond having a great pitch deck or investor strategy -- is to really believe you are selling something great. But looking at her company, Lauren saw it was a mess. Emma was working night and day, single-handedly running the matchmaking side of the business from New York. Even after she hired a few matchmakers, the system was in complete chaos. Gay men were being set up with straight women. People were being sent to the wrong locations for their dates. There were refunds and cancellations and lots of unhappy customers. It was a complete disaster. So, the Dating Ring founders decide to put fundraising on pause and focus on fixing all these issues. Along the way, they travel through a very sad but iconic startup state of mind. Deal with a breakup. Cook up a fast track money-making scheme. And take some radical steps to relaunching the business with help from one very special match.

The Facts

Our iTunes artwork was illustrated by Cari Vander Yacht. Check out her work at www.carivanderyacht.com Our theme song was written and performed by Mark Phillips. The "Trough of Sorrow" song was written and performed by Matt Farley Season two of Startup features brand new original music, written and performed by our own John Delore along with his band mates, Jordan Scanella, Sam Merrick and Isamu McGregor.