Dattch, The Dating App For Gay Women, Launches in San Francisco

Aimed exclusively at lesbians, bisexual and/or bi-curious women, the Dattch dating app ought to be a shoo-in for the large San Francisco market. So it’s no surprise that the startup – after raising money and honing its product in London – has now launched in the California city. You can download it for iOS here.

The product emphasises photos — not just profile photos but photos of where someone lives, what they wear, what they like etc. — and thus draws comparisons with Pinterest in user interface.

Unlike Grindr, Dattch does not emphasise proximity-based social networking, allowing users to pick the distance they want to see people within, allied with age range.

It incorporates Facebook Connect and makes a point of weeding out fake profiles created by straight men fishing for willing partners.

CEO and co-founder Robyn Exton has repeatedly said the gay female dating scene is badly served, and – given the success of Tinder and the like – an app experience now makes a lot of sense.

She thinks re-hashing a gay male platform for women (such as Bender to Brenda Or GaydarGirls) just doesn’t work. Exton ought to know what she’s talking about, as she’d already built a straight dating product prior to Dattch.

Dattch targeted London and other UK cities initially, but is opting for a geofenced city-by-city rollout in the U.S. Australia is also on its roadmap.

The mostly female team was one of 17 startups in the Wayra London incubator, and has also closed a small $160,000 Angel round, alongside Wayra’s €40,000.