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TeamDating is the group version of Match.com: it allows groups of friends to interact with other groups of friends, increasing their social circles and their chances of meeting someone worth dating. Same-sex or mixed groups of friends sign up on TeamDating, post their profiles and then interact online with other groups, with the goal of meeting up offline. Besides increasing each individual’s odds of meeting the right partner, TeamDating is being marketed as less dangerous and less intimidating than regular online dating. TeamDating calls itself an online extension of real life. Why should online dating be limited to scrolling through impersonal profiles and awkward first meetings? Founders Ray Doustdar and Kipp Gillian created Team Dating with the intention of taking online dating to the next level. As they say on their website, “We created TeamDating.com because we thought that using mathematical algorithms, personality profile tests, and other scientific methods is not how you meet new people. You should meet new people online the same way people have been meeting other people offline for thousands of years – through friends and current social networks.” Group dating has been around for a while in Japan, where so-called kompa parties are a regular part of the dating scene. Besides TeamDating in the US, we’ve spotted CitySwoon in Australia. That leaves quite a few markets wide open! Not into dating? For group-oriented online ventures in the financial world, check out our previous articles on Fundable (group purchases and fundraising) and Prosper (borrowers working as groups to increase their credit ratings).