My name is Tobias
For many years I’ve been a volunteer leader in Swedish community associations. There I’ve seen what happens when people get to meet for real: they grow, find where they belong and become part of something bigger than themselves.
I’ve also seen the opposite. Society is changing, and for more and more people that leads to loneliness. Many have a full life on paper but no one to call on a Tuesday evening.
That’s why I’m building Mingle.
Hope shouldn’t be for sale
Dating apps have become a big industry that makes a lot of money from one of the most human things we have: the hope of meeting someone. You pay to be seen, to find out who likes you and to jump the queue. And yet surprisingly few people actually meet.
I’ve read reports and research on how the apps affect us, and it was impossible to read them without wanting to do something differently. A few examples:
- A study at NTNU of 269 young Tinder users found that for most people the app is an ineffective way to find a long-term relationship.1
- In Tinder’s own survey of 8,000 singles aged 18 to 34, 91 percent of men and 94 percent of women agreed that dating has become harder.2
- Researchers who have studied online dating for years say there is no way to show that the apps help people find a partner – partly because the companies keep their data to themselves.3
People first
Mingle has two goals: that people meet and make new friends, and that anyone who wants to can find someone to date – maybe someone to share their life with.
Here you get to know someone through conversation and shared interests before looks take over. You step into a room around something you enjoy, talk with the people who are there and see who they are in how they joke, ask and answer. Attraction starts with personality.
That’s also why Mingle is free for everyone, with no premium tiers and no paid visibility. It’s the people who meet who create the value – not the app.
I’m not trying to make money from Mingle. But it costs money to run: servers, storage, email and image moderation. If you’d like to help cover the costs, you’re welcome to buy me a coffee. It’s completely voluntary and gives no advantages in the app.
Why now
Today it’s possible to build a service like this without a big company behind you. With the help of AI I’ve been able to build Mingle myself. That means the focus can be where it belongs: on you, the person using it, not on how long you stay in the app.
My hope is that Mingle becomes the place where many good, unexpected and important meetings begin.
My promises to you
- Free means free. Nobody pays for contact, compatibility or visibility.
- Nobody buys their way ahead. No paid shortcuts to attention.
- Consent before sensitive steps. Photos and private contact require a mutual yes – and can be undone.
- Community before mechanics. Mingle should succeed when people meet, not when they get stuck in the app.
You can always reach me
Mingle is not an anonymous app. If you have questions, ideas or something that bothers you, write to me directly at info@minglemingle.se.
I’m also looking for more people who want to build Mingle together with me: testers, marketers, moderators and other roles. The roles are voluntary. Email me and tell me a little about yourself.
Tobiasfounder of Mingle · Stockholm