Kelowna dating platform launching just in time for Valentine's Day

A brand new dating platform based in Kelowna is coming out of beta testing this weekend to give singles a chance to learn a new skill.

Whether you’re interested in horseback riding, knitting or speaking a new language, SkillGarden is designed to connect individuals with similar interests to participate in the activity together.

“Say Sam is great at snowboarding and Emma is new to it and would like to spend some more time learning it," says Maizal Munif, a senior web applications developer.

"They can connect, message each other and set up a date to go out and enjoy snowboarding up at Big White."

A few years ago, a team at Startup Weekend Okanagan created the platform to match mentors with students. They went through the Venture Acceleration Program at Accelerate Okanagan and joined the BizSpark program through Microsoft.

Recently, it pivoted to become a dating platform.

“With the pandemic ending and people getting back to a normal way of life, Valentine's Day coming up and spring on the way, we thought it was a great time to pivot and launch and see if there's traction for an app like this,” Munif explains.

SkillGarden allows users to select from a host of different activities ranging from arts to technology, and once a match is made, they can message each other to set up a date.

The target audience is single people in Kelowna who like to adventure on their first date. Additionally, it can be used by individuals looking to make friends.

Users have the ability to outline exactly what they’re looking for in their bio.

While the platform is currently a progressive web app that is mobile friendly, there is hope to develop an iOS and Android app for it.

With the ‘request features’ section, users will have the ability to propose features they would like to see added to the platform. Others can vote for the requests, allowing SkillGarden to prioritize which features to implement first.

SkillGarden is free, and an account can be set up here.