Pacific Beach is a great place to meet new people, especially if you’re single. Now, thanks to the latest dating app, there’s an even easier way to connect with your fellow singles. Voujo is the creation of PB resident Kyle Gernhofer and his business partner, Matthew Wiles. Promising “dating without the guesswork,” the app is San Diego-based, with national ambitions. By day, Gernhofer is a dentist in PB, while Wiles practices law in Columbus, Ohio. This is their first business venture together, which launched in the App Store and Google Play on July 14. As for the number of San Diegans who have joined so far, they claim they receive new members every day, so their numbers are constantly changing. “Because we launched recently, we’re especially focused on doing everything in our power to make Voujo an enjoyable experience for them,” Gernhofer said. They have members from 21 years of age to 60 but say that most are between the ages of 25 and 39. Because it’s a San Diego-based company, many of their members are in San Diego County, but they’ve garnered a following in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas. So what makes Voujo different from the rest? Their tagline is that they are the “First and only crowd-sourcing app.” What does this mean? Basically, once members interact with each other, they have the opportunity to provide what the owners strongly describe as “feedback.” There are sliding scales varying from “acted appropriately” to “profile was accurate” that can be utilized by subscribers to the app. “Voujo allows you to see what other members think of someone’s personality before messaging back and forth and eventually meeting in person,” Gernhofer said. “It’s just one more tool to have in your dating arsenal.” When asked if they’ve experienced any hesitations from users because of the possibility of negative feedback, Gernhofer said, “Feedback is given in an anonymous controlled setting, and it takes seconds to complete. Both types of feedback, ‘First Impression’ and ‘In-Person,’ are designed to elicit your opinion of someone after exchanging messages on the app and after meeting in person, respectively. Feedback is personality-based and has nothing to do with physical appearance.” With new features on the horizon, Gernhofer and Wiles say their ultimate goal is to provide a more enjoyable and reliable dating platform for the online dating community. “If our members are happy, we’re happy.” For more information or to download the app, visit voujo.com.
