01 - Humanity is good

We look forward to a future of human flourishing - more artists, more astronauts, more inventors, more Olympians; more childhood dreams from more childhoods. But in much of the world, each generation has married less often, married later, and had fewer children. Most countries worldwide have fallen below the replacement rate, meaning their nations are dwindling. We think people need each other, as individuals and societies, and human flourishing starts with more families.

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02 - LONG-TERM MEANING OVER SHORT-TERM GRATIFICATION

In 1985, Whole Foods had three stores in Austin and one in Houston, and eating ‘organic’ was something only hippies and athletes cared about. No one was drinking kale smoothies. Supermarkets were only just beginning to fill up with processed foods. Thirty-some years on and health food is everywhere. Fast food hasn’t gone away, but, spurred on by early adopters and more health-conscious parts of society, more and more people are turning anew towards an older paradigm - organic sourcing, fewer or no preservatives, no processing.

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We think the same new turn to older practice will happen, starting with family-conscious people, then going mainstream. Casual dating apps only satisfy short-term instant gratification, the empty calories of relationships. Keeper is for people who recognize the long term is what matters most.

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03 - Iteration and improvement ARE a part of the process

It’s everyone’s responsibility to be the best version of themselves, both in-person and online. But it’s hard to know what the other sex really wants these days - our culture and media send distorted messages and we don’t see the world through their eyes. Keeper lets you crowdsource feedback on your photos and profile from people who are what you desire in a partner. Once you’ve gone on a few dates from Keeper, if you want to see it, we’ll show you any constructive feedback that your dates have given anonymously. That way you won’t be flying blind next time.

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04 - Honesty is the best policy

We will always take your criteria seriously, but we’ll take everyone else’s criteria seriously, too. If it doesn’t look like you’ll get a match, we'll be up front with you about why. We find that telling the hard truth is often what it takes to get people where they need to be in order to make a great match happen.

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05 - We take care with people

Everyone is busy, and searching for a partner is time intensive. Let us do the work — tell us who you are, what you want, and we’ll get started. We don’t make matches just to make matches, however. We’d rather take longer in the background than waste two peoples’ time. You shouldn’t expect a regular cadence of matches, because neither your nor prospective matches are disposable people.

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06 - We don’t deny Nature

We are the result of millions of years of evolution. Like many other species, we are male and female; we are different.

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We are a product of millions of years of natural selection and sexual selection. These evolutionary pressures have created intersexual dynamics that dictate how relationships form. Because of this men and women behave differently when they look for a partner, from the things they look for want, and to how they think feel about short term vs long-term mating. Other dating apps present one-size-fits-all, unisex experiences. We think that’s silly because men and women are fundamentally different. The best way to create long lasting relationships is to create a product that is conscious of the incentives and limitations hardwired into all of us.