Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Sloofman
Hi Holly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In February 2022 I was on a birthday trip in Mexico. Hitting my mid-30s I was still single and somewhat new to LA (I’m a Native New Yorker who moved out to LA in the summer of 2021), Covid was still forcing folks to wear masks and dating apps felt like my only option to meet other singles in a new city. I remember being in Mexico on a call with a friend and mentor who called to say happy birthday. She asked me how dating was going and I went into my same diatribe complaint about how much the apps suck and how I was thinking of deleting them again – a cycle I found myself in every couple of months. She then asked me a question that changed everything for me: “Why don’t you make your own dating app?”
My background is in advertising – I spent over a decade working at some of the biggest ad agencies in New York on brands like Covergirl, Kit Kat, Starbucks, Google, just to name a few. In 2019 I left the ad world and NYC and decided to take a sabbatical. I subletted my Brooklyn apartment, packed what I could in a few suitcases and moved across the world to Bali – at the time I had never set foot in Asia. While I was in Bali, I started teaching yoga and practicing Reiki – I had gotten certified prior to leaving NY. That ended up unexpectedly turning into a wellness coaching business that took off at the start of Covid. In February 2022 I was coaching clients full time, teaching Reiki classes, and leading wellness workshops for some of my old advertising clients like Google and NY Parks Department. All that said, I had never worked in tech before, didn’t know the first thing about coding, and had no clue where to start with building any kind of app. But, when my mentor asked me that question on my birthday, she planted a seed that clearly wanted to grow. I spent the next two days on the beach in Mexico writing out what I wanted from a dating app, and that’s where Necterine started.
I had over a decade of experience building brands and obsessing over how consumers think and connect with products across all categories, but it was the work I did with my coaching clients that really solidified what Necterine has become. During my years of coaching folks, I saw a pattern in the clients I worked with who were single. I’m not a dating coach and never claimed to be one – but for a lot of my single clients, one of the things they wanted to work on was finding a partner and really finding healthy love. So, with those clients I didn’t coach them with dating, but I did support them in self-awareness and building a new foundation for when they were ready to go out and date. We would work on their self-esteem and confidence, get super clear about their non-negotiables and red flags around dating and relationships, we’d look at past relationships patterns and try to get to the root causes or limiting beliefs that perhaps kept them stuck in certain cycles, and really work on getting clear about what they wanted in a relationship and a partner. What I saw time and time again in the clients who really did that work was the same thing – they found incredible partners and started really healthy, beautiful relationships.
With that in mind, I realized that these clients were all in such a positive and hopeful mindset, as well as feeling really confident and self-assured when they met their partners. But my experience every time I opened a dating app was the opposite of that. I was sign in to Hinge or Bumble and immediately feel bad about my prospects, bad about myself, bad about men and doubtful about whether there was anyone really looking for a meaningful connection, and all I felt was defeat. It was the exact mindset that my clients were in when they found their partners. I knew that Necterine had to be a space that supported users at every touchpoint – a space they could log in to to feel confident, positive, hopeful, even if they didn’t have any matches on a certain day, I wanted our users to know it wasn’t a reflection of them or their self worth and have hope that their person is out there and closer than they think.
So I started building Necterine in February of 2022, and it’s been a journey! I’m a non-technical, solo female-founder. I went back to advertising to help fund our prototype and have been bootstrapping to get us to launch on the app store. There have been different iterations of teams who have touched the product and the brand, but now we have an incredible team of folks based here in California, who believe so strongly in our mission and vision, and I’m so excited to continue to build Necterine with them and create a platform for people that takes the pressure off, supports their self-esteem, and helps folks find the value in every connection whether its fleeting or forever.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! When I started, I thought “great – I know what I want to build, I’ll find a freelancer to build our prototype and we’ll have an MVP (minimum viable product) ready in a couple months.” Boy was I wrong!
Being an non-technical founder I had to rely on other people’s expertise. I definitely dealt with a freelancer at the beginning who thought he could take advantage of my lack of experience in mobile app development – luckily I’m pretty discerning and quickly cut ties with him.
Bootstrapping and working full time while trying to build Necterine meant that cashflow wasn’t always consistent, so it took a lot longer to build than I had hoped.
I also worked with a few different folks and advisors along the way who didn’t necessarily share my vision, and I had to stand my ground when it came to non-negotiables for our product and brand. Not the easiest thing to do when you’re going up against experts in a field that is completely brand new to you, but I’m so glad I did, and never forgot my why – to shift the culture of dating and connection in a meaningful, impactful way that will resonate with a generation in need of new, authentic solutions.
As you know, we’re big fans of Necterine. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Necterine is a next-generation dating app designed to help Gen Z and Millennial users cultivate meaningful connections in an inclusive, authentic way. At its core, Necterine is all about empowering individuals to explore their dating and relationship journeys with emotional maturity and self-awareness.
Unlike traditional dating apps that focus purely on matchmaking, Necterine offers more than just swiping—it’s a platform for personal growth. Through tools like our in-app AI coach ‘Necter’, our content hub with support resources that span the categories of “Self Awareness and Self Confidence,” “General Dating Tips & Trends,” “Sex & Intimacy,” “Communication and Vulnerability,” and “Bad Behavior & Maintaining Confidence,” the opportunity to book a session with one of our live dating coaches, and real-time feedback, users are able to gain insights that help them understand themselves and improve their connections with others. Our app is unique because it integrates both digital and in-person experiences, including events, to create opportunities for users to connect in real life in partnership with other local LA brands.
What sets Necterine apart from other dating apps is our commitment to emotional maturity and inclusivity. We believe that dating should be fun, empowering, and free from the pressure to conform to societal norms or fit into a certain mold. Our platform supports all sexualities, gender identities, and races, creating a safe space for everyone to explore relationships without judgment.
What we’re most proud of as a brand is our ability to prioritize self-awareness and mental health while maintaining a fun, lighthearted approach to dating. We believe that all connection holds value, whether it leads to love or friendship, and we encourage users to approach dating with openness and curiosity. Rather than seeing challenges as setbacks, we focus on building resilience, fostering non-judgment, and encouraging personal growth through their relationships. Our ultimate goal is to empower users to discover themselves and cultivate connections that support their emotional well-being in a realistic and compassionate way.
What we want your readers to know is that Necterine is a revolutionary tool in the world of dating. Whether you’re looking for a casual connection, a deep relationship, or simply a way to learn more about yourself, Necterine offers an experience that goes beyond what typical dating apps provide. We’re changing the way people think about relationships and connection, one interaction at a time.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
There are a handful, and most are with my childhood dog, Alea, who was an 87 pound Alaskan Malamute. I grew up 30 minutes north of Manhattan in West Nyack, NY, but my grandparents lived further upstate in the Catskill Mountains. We would spend most summers upstate exploring the woods and “driving” my grandfather’s tractor down their dirt road with the dogs following us, and every winter holiday at their house where snow was guaranteed and sleigh rides with the cousins and all the dogs would go on repeat for hours until we couldn’t feel our fingers or toes!
While there isn’t snow here in LA, one of the things I love so much about it is the access to nature in the middle of the city – living so close to Griffith Park and being an hour or less from the ocean has been one of the main reasons I can’t see myself leaving LA anytime soon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.necterine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datenecterine/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-sloofman-44b98bb/
- Other: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/necterine/id6471609071
Image Credits
Mindy Benner
