Dutch-based dating app Breeze bags €1.3M to ‘humanise’ the dating experience

Rotterdam-based Breeze, an offline dating platform, announced on Wednesday, November 30, that it has raised €1.3M in a fresh round of funding from US VC FJ Labs and Sweden’s Hype Ventures. 

Vinted CEO Thomas Plantenga, Binck Founder Kalo Bagijn, Ohpen Founder Chris Zadeh, and AI Venture Builder JC Heyneke also participated in the round. 

The startup also received investments from notable angels, including Stefan van den Berg (Lexa, Match), Rogier Fischer (Litebit, Hadrian), and United Wardrobe founder Thijs Verheul. 

The Dutch dating platform says it will use the funds to accelerate its expansion and product development. 

Co-founder and CEO Joris van Doorninck says, “We are very happy with the new group of investors. It’s nice to continue building Breeze when you know that they, with their experience and knowledge, also believe in it and are now motivated to make it a huge success with us.”

Breeze: What you need to know

“Dating” has become a digital process. It starts with the endless superficial swiping, followed by the uncomfortable chat. In a dating app, users spend much time on their phones but rarely any time face-to-face on a real date. 

However, a set of students with entrepreneurial spirits have set out to solve this problem. 

Breeze was founded in 2020 by a group of former TU Delft students – Marsha Goei, Marco van der Woude, Thomas van der Pas, Daan Alkemade, Thomas Oomens, Philip van den Heuvel, and Joris van Doorninck – with a mission to humanise online dating.

Unlike traditional dating apps, Breeze does not allow for chatting. Instead, users schedule a date directly via a date picker after a mutual interest, or a ‘match.’ 

The startup then makes a reservation at one of its affiliated hospitality partners. However, both users pay a small fee for the date, including a first drink. 

As per the company’s claim, it has currently 50,000 dates, and has become the third most downloaded dating app in the Netherlands in recent months.