Michelle Kennedy is an experienced entrepreneur with a long and impressive record when it comes to building successful technology companies. She was instrumental in building Bumble – the dating app with a pronounced emphasis on female empowerment.
And Michelle is also a mother. This is a demographic that, while huge, is largely ignored by the consumer tech field.
Largely, but not entirely, because today she launched an app called Peanut that bucks this entire trend.
Peanut is an interesting concept. The app — which is available for iOS — acts a bit like a platonic dating website for mothers, using machine learning to connect like-minded mamas for meetups, drinks, and more.
The actual ‘matchmaking’ mechanism is pretty interesting. Instead of swiping right, users ‘wave’ at other mothers by swiping up. When another mother ‘waves’ back, the app highlights their shared interests in order to spark a conversation.
Given that Kennedy cut her teeth working on top-tier dating and networking services like Badoo and Bumble, she’s got the experience required to translate the tired dating app formula to platonic friendships.
Peanut also has some interesting social features that you won’t typically see in a traditional dating app. It includes the ability to start group chats, launch polls, and plan meetups. Peanut also lets you seamlessly add these to your calendar.
The app launched today as a beta in two major markets – namely the US and the UK, with an emphasis on New York and London. The final 1.0 release drops next Wednesday. You can download it here.
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