RAW Dating App's 18-slide deck is a masterclass in visual branding for a Gen Z audience, focusing heavily on the 'BeReal for dating' mechanic. The company identifies four primary industry failures—scams, ghosting, catfishing, and toxicity—and proposes a dual-camera, daily-update solution to ensure 100% authenticity. While the deck is light on traditional financial modeling and unit economics, it provides a clear product roadmap and a specific $2M pre-seed ask. By leveraging the founder's background at Bumble and Prequel, the deck builds credibility in a crowded market. The narrative is driven…
Key takeaways
- The app utilizes a dual-camera feature to capture simultaneous selfie and POV shots to prevent catfishing (Slide 2).
- RAW targets a specific 'New Gen Z' demographic, specifically women aged 21-27 in large U.S. cities (Slide 7).
- The deck cites a $638.8M loss to dating app scammers in 2023 to validate the need for phone verification and real-time photos (Slide 11).
- Product mechanics require daily photo updates to keep the swipe feed fresh and authentic (Slide 5).
- The startup requested $2M in pre-seed funding, with 55% allocated to marketing and 30% to MVP development (Slide 16).
- Traction targets include reaching 100,000 MAU by May, with a focus on features that reduce ghosting (Slide 17).
- Founder Marina Anderson leverages her experience at Bumble and Prequel to establish domain expertise (Slide 15).
- The competitive advantage slide lists future features like a 'Respect Meter' and 'Meditation' to combat toxicity (Slide 14).
The Unfiltered Pitch: RAW Dating App Teardown
RAW Dating App entered the market with a clear mission: to kill the 'fake' culture of online dating. This 18-slide deck, used to secure early funding, leans heavily into the aesthetic and functional preferences of Gen Z. By adopting a 'BeReal' style mechanic for the dating world, RAW attempts to solve the systemic issues of catfishing and scamming that plague giants like Tinder and Bumble.
Slides 1-3: The Hook and the 'Real' Promise
The deck opens with high-impact, full-bleed imagery that immediately establishes the brand's 'unfiltered' aesthetic. Slide 1 introduces the tagline 'NOT ANOTHER FAKE DATING APP,' setting a confrontational tone against incumbents. Slide 2 defines the product as a '100% Real People' app where two cameras snap selfie and POV shots simultaneously. This is the core value proposition: you see what the person looks like now , and you see where they are. Slide 3 reinforces this by claiming to be the 'only dating app that fixes common online dating problems like scams and catfishing' through daily photo updates and phone verification.
Slides 4-6: Product Mechanics and the 'RAW' Experience
These slides dive into the user interface. Slide 4 explains the 'Main Feature': real-time pics on double cameras, referred to as 'raws.' Slide 5 shows the 'swipe feed,' emphasizing that it contains 'only fresh photos updated daily.' This creates a scarcity and urgency mechanic—if you don't post, you don't play. Slide 6 introduces the 'crush first - bio later' philosophy. By forcing users to engage with the daily 'raw' shot before reading a bio, the app prioritizes immediate, authentic attraction over curated profiles.
Slides 7-9: Defining the 'New Gen Z' and Communication
Slide 7 provides a surprisingly specific demographic target: women aged 21-27 in large U.S. cities. It categorizes them as 'self-ironic' and 'honest.' Slide 8 and 9 transition into the 'Communication Approach.' The deck outlines four key messaging pillars: 100% Real People, Find New First Love, Don't Put a Price Tag on Love, and Love at First Sight via Back&Front shots. The mention of not putting a 'price tag on love' (Slide 9) is a direct jab at the aggressive monetization strategies of legacy apps, though the deck notably omits its own revenue model.
Slides 10-13: The Problem Statement and Social Proof
Slide 10 and 11 represent the 'Why Now' of the pitch. Slide 11 provides hard data: $638.8M scammed on dating apps in 2023, 29% ghosting rates, 27% catfishing rates, and a staggering 75% of users facing toxic behavior. Slide 12 uses 'Voice of the Customer' screenshots from Reddit and TikTok to humanize these statistics, showing real users complaining about the 'anxiety of getting catflished.' Slide 13 summarizes the failure of 'Big Apps,' labeling them as copycats with outdated concepts that put 'extra work for women.'
Slides 14-18: Competition, Team, and the $2M Ask
Slide 14 uses a grid to compare RAW against three unnamed competitors (represented by colored icons). RAW claims superiority in phone verification, real-time photos, and daily updates. It also teases 'Coming Soon' features like a 'Respect Meter' and 'Meditation Feature.' Slide 15 introduces Marina Anderson, Founder & CMO, highlighting her pedigree as 'Ex Bumble,' 'Ex Prequel,' and 'Ex XOXO.' This is a crucial credibility builder in a high-risk sector. Slide 16 presents the $2M pre-seed ask , with 55% of funds earmarked for marketing. Slide 17 shows a traction roadmap aiming for 100,000 MAU by May. The deck concludes on Slide 18 with a call to 'get raw with us.'
What RAW Dating App Does Well
Visual Consistency: The deck looks like the app. It uses the same fonts, neon pink accents, and 'unfiltered' photography that a Gen Z user would expect. This demonstrates a strong understanding of brand identity.
Feature-Problem Alignment: Every feature mentioned (dual camera, daily updates, phone verification) is directly tied to a specific pain point (catfishing, outdated photos, scammers). The logic is tight and easy for an investor to follow.
Founder-Market Fit: Highlighting the founder's experience at Bumble (Slide 15) immediately answers the question: 'Why are you the person to build this?' It suggests the team knows the 'icks' of the industry from the inside.
What is Missing from the RAW Deck
Monetization Strategy: While Slide 9 mentions 'Don't put a price tag on love,' the deck never explains how the company will actually make money. For a $2M ask, investors usually expect to see a path to revenue, whether through subscriptions, micro-transactions, or advertising.
Unit Economics: There is no mention of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) or Lifetime Value (LTV). In the dating app world, where churn is naturally high (if the app works, users leave), understanding the cost to acquire a user is vital.
Detailed Roadmap: Slide 17 shows MAU targets but doesn't explain the strategy to reach them. Going from 40k to 100k MAU requires a significant growth engine, which is not detailed beyond the 'Marketing' budget allocation.
Founder's Playbook: What to Copy
Use Social Proof Effectively: Slide 12's use of Reddit and TikTok comments is a low-cost, high-impact way to prove market demand. It shows that the problem isn't just a theory; it's a daily frustration for thousands of people.
Specific Targeting: Instead of saying 'everyone,' RAW says 'Women, 21-27, Large U.S. Cities' (Slide 7). This specificity makes the marketing plan (Slide 16) much more believable because the target is narrow and reachable.
The 'Anti-Hero' Narrative: By positioning themselves against 'Big Apps' (Slide 13), RAW creates a compelling narrative. Founders should look for ways to frame their startup as the necessary correction to a broken industry standard.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary problem RAW is trying to solve?
- According to Slide 11, RAW targets four specific industry pains: Scammers ($638.8M lost in 2023), Ghosting (29% of users admit to it), Catfishing (27% of online daters affected), and Toxicity (75% of users face abuse). The app aims to solve these through mandatory real-time, dual-camera photo updates that prevent the use of old or filtered images.
- How does the app's core mechanic work?
- The app uses a 'Double Camera' system, as shown on Slide 4. Users must take a 'RAW'—a simultaneous front and back camera shot—to participate. Slide 6 explains the 'crush first, bio later' flow, where users swipe on these daily shots first and only explore detailed bios after a match has been made, prioritizing immediate visual authenticity.
- Who is the target audience for RAW?
- Slide 7 explicitly defines the target as 'New Gen Z.' This includes young professionals and students, with a primary focus on women aged 21-27 living in large U.S. cities. The deck describes this group as 'self-ironic' and 'honest rawmantics' who are tired of the 'fake' nature of legacy dating platforms.
- What are the company's growth and traction goals?
- Slide 17 outlines a growth trajectory from July to May. It shows a progression from 40,000 MAU (Monthly Active Users) with a 7% 'SF' (likely Success Factor or similar internal metric) to a target of 100,000 MAU and 14% SF. Each growth stage is tied to a feature release, such as 'No Scams,' 'No FOMO,' and 'No Ghosting.'
- How does the startup plan to spend the $2M investment?
- Slide 16 breaks down the $2M pre-seed ask into three categories: 55% for Marketing, 30% for MVP (Minimum Viable Product) development, and 15% for Overheads. This heavy weighting toward marketing suggests the company views user acquisition and brand awareness as the primary hurdles in the competitive dating app sector.
