NTUpreneur Beverly Chew co-founded Frankie and Not.A.Dating.App to help people with modern dating, mental health and wellness

Can you tell us more about NADA and frankie?
NADA is a dating platform which aims to challenge the current culture of modern dating. Instead of choosing your potential date based on physical appearance. You choose a date activity and get your match! frankie is a rewards-based mental health and wellness application that rewards you for taking charge of your mental health and wellness.

Why did you integrate NADA and frankie?
People crave connections. The social restrictions due to COVID-19 has increased the need for connections. Connections fortify mental health. Thus, the need for the integration.

Even though dating apps seem to be the norm in this era, there are still stereotypes for people who use it. Similarly, stigma against getting help for mental health or taking a break to recuperate is very prevalent. Hence, with frankie and NADA, we hope to break these stigmas and normalise it.

What are the main takeaways of your start-up journey?

• Have a clear but flexible roadmap: Recognise that your users need to be excited about the product. Set clear directions but maintain flexibility to adjust the product based on users’ feedback.
  
• Work with people who believe in you: Find the right people who provide their own value to the team. Ensure that they can blend well into your company culture.
• Have a game plan: As a start-up founder, you realise that you must take on many roles at the same time. There will be 101 tasks, but you only have 24 hours. Having a game plan helps to prioritise tasks into buckets.
  

What insights have you gained from OEP and how did it help you?
Through OEP, I acquired useful skills and knowledge such as learning how to pitch a business idea and drafting business plans. The OEP team was very supportive and encouraging. They helped to link me up with seniors who gave me useful advice and allowed me the opportunity to present to a panel when I first started.