Sick of relationship apps, extra S’poreans flip to “experience-driven” matchmaking

Singaporeans are actually chasing experiences, not swipes

In Could 2025, a number of Singaporean singles boarded a bunch journey to Japan collectively—however it wasn’t their regular vacation.

Not figuring out one another’s age, occupation, or relationship historical past, contributors have been paired on each day “dates,” wrote nameless letters to those that caught their eye, and accomplished mini couple missions designed to spark connection.

Like contestants on relationship present Single’s Inferno, they shared rooms with others of the identical gender, navigating rising crushes, shifting dynamics, and the occasional emotional revelation.

That is Till 11:11, a Singapore-based relationship and social expertise platform that runs curated abroad journeys and singles mixers. And it’s a part of a motion of experience-driven matchmaking that’s gaining traction as extra Singaporeans develop fatigued with conventional relationship apps.

Not your regular matchmaking experiences

At Till 11:11’s abroad singles journeys, contributors get to know one another over the course of 4 to 6 days. There’s a give attention to numerology (a apply that provides insights into persona, compatibility, and life tendencies primarily based on a person’s birthdate and title), other than a mixture of structured actions and free-form socialising.

In spite of everything, the platform—whose title nods to the angel quantity 1111, typically related to main life modifications—was constructed across the thought of transformation and connection, defined Ching Ling Leo, the co-founder of the enterprise.

Ching Ling, a 25-year-old pupil on the Nanyang Academy of Superb Arts, runs Till 11:11 along with enterprise proprietor Ric Ang, 50. The pair met when Ching Ling interned at an organization the place Ric was working, and started internet hosting numerology-themed singles occasions in Singapore in 2024.

Till 11:11’s native events, held as soon as each two to a few months with about 30 contributors, supply compatibility readings, tarot classes, and even crystal-making workshops, giving attendees a singular lens into themselves and others.

The platform takes it a step additional with its curated abroad journeys. Launched final 12 months, these experiences are amplified past the confines of a typical singles mixer, and demand seems sturdy, too.

To this point, Till 11:11 has organised seven teams of singles journeys, usually in teams of lower than 20, to locations together with Vietnam and East Malaysia, regardless of costs reaching as much as S$1,800 per participant.

Abroad singles journeys should not the one experiential relationship idea on the rise in Singapore. Throughout the city-state, Fishbowl presents a unique take: a “Shark Tank–model” singles pitch evening.

Right here, contributors spend a night placing themselves—or their buddies—on stage in three-minute pitches. “The concept is easy—put collectively your finest three-minute PowerPoint presentation (or a pitch in another format), present up and current it, and mingle afterwards to get to know new individuals,” shared Joell Tee, the 28-year-old behind the initiative.

Joell began Fishbowl along with a good friend after coming throughout the same occasion held in Vietnam through TikTok. Initially, the duo hosted a small gathering for buddies and buddies of buddies, however the idea shortly caught on, ultimately drawing the eye of manufacturers and bigger audiences.

Because the first in Aug 2024, Joell has held 4 Fishbowl classes, collaborating with manufacturers akin to Oatly and Espresso Meets Bagel to deliver collectively singles and buddies in a full of life, interactive setting that may host as much as 100 contributors per occasion.

The work behind curated matchmaking

Nonetheless, occasions akin to these are removed from straightforward to organise. Abroad journeys, specifically, include a bunch of logistical complexities.

To deal with the main points, Till 11:11 companions with I Quadrant Journey Company, which takes care of journey preparations and on-the-ground logistics. Every journey can also be deliberate not less than six months prematurely to make sure they run as easily as potential.

There’s additionally the matter of security and vetting contributors. To enroll in an Till 11:11 journey, potential attendees fill out a Google type, which permits the organisers to handpick contributors. Candidates are requested to incorporate a social media deal with with a visual photograph, together with a quick rationalization of why they’d be a superb match for the journey.

Invites are then despatched to contributors deemed appropriate. “The choice course of and invitation sending are handbook and time-consuming,” mentioned Ching Ling, including that abroad journeys are sometimes scheduled back-to-back with native singles occasions, leaving little time for relaxation.

Till 11:11 isn’t the one platform taking a curated strategy to trendy relationship. Teddy Lounge, a personal, invite-only relationship app, operates extra like a members’ membership than a typical matchmaking platform—and meaning extra work for founder Nam Soeun.

Each applicant is screened earlier than being admitted. Profiles are reviewed manually, background particulars are assessed, and shortlisted candidates might even undergo interviews to find out suitability. Soeun enlists a handful of “managers” to assist with this course of—they not solely overview purposes, but additionally personally ship bodily invitation playing cards to appropriate candidates and clarify how Teddy Lounge works.

Memberships hinge on a “medal” system. These medals certify sure traits or achievements, and may embrace excessive earnings (minimal S$100K yearly, verified through payslips or tax paperwork), possession of prime properties, educational excellence, or social affect.

Potential members want not less than one medal to achieve entry. In response to Soeun, the medals aren’t meant to rank or choose members—they merely set expectations up entrance, lowering awkward early-stage questions and making connections extra clear from the beginning.

Presently, Teddy Lounge is in pre-launch, with round 500 early customers already onboarded, based on its web site. Soeun shared that members recognize the platform as an area for “extra pure, significant connections, romantic or in any other case.” The app is scheduled for an official launch in early 2026, pending last testing and refinements.

Discovering significant connections isn’t a certain shot

Although extra are turning to those platforms, discovering significant connections isn’t a certain shot—nevertheless, the intentional strategy might enhance the percentages.

On Teddy Lounge, customers can unlock simply three profiles per day—a deliberate restrict to encourage “slower, extra considerate” engagement. For many who don’t discover a match instantly, the app presents different methods to attach.

Its “Social gathering” web page, as an example, lets members share or be a part of interest-based social actions. “Some customers have met by actions like poker nights on the Social gathering web page and have become buddies slightly than romantic matches,” shared Soeun.

As for Till 11:11, most contributors grow to be good buddies and stay in touch lengthy after, shared Ching Ling. Some type {couples}, others might not absolutely join with the group, however nonetheless “depart with a stronger understanding of themselves.”

Initially, Ching Ling and Ric measured success by what number of {couples} fashioned at their occasions. However it was quickly clear that this metric couldn’t seize the complete affect of the experiences.

Even when persons are collectively now, they could half methods sooner or later. There’s no actual approach to gauge whether or not it’s “good” that two individuals bought collectively, solely that their assembly was fated.

Ching Ling Leo, co-founder of Till 11:11

On a extra tangible stage, she shared that success could possibly be seen as buyer satisfaction, like “seeing contributors having enjoyable or hanging out,” however these moments are “fleeting.”

“Now, we see success as when contributors are in a position to absolutely open themselves to the expertise, embracing all their feelings and strolling away feeling that they’ve discovered one thing about themselves or life.”

Might this mark the tip of conventional relationship apps?

When requested about relationship developments in Singapore, Ching Ling noticed that there was “plenty of singles mixers” popping up over the previous few months. To her, it indicators a “rising want for actual connections past screens.”

Whereas the surge inevitably brings extra competitors for Till 11:11, she believes it’s in the end optimistic for Singapore’s relationship scene. Completely different platforms can cater to completely different audiences and intentions—a distinction to conventional relationship apps, the place customers are sometimes a part of a large, generic pool.

For a lot of of those app customers, the expertise is tiring and irritating: mismatched intentions, undefined relationships, and limitless dead-end texting. Curated experiences can lower by that noise.

However not everybody sees the rise of curated experiences as a rejection of conventional relationship apps.

Joell, the founding father of Fishbowl, views them as a substitute as a complement to the web relationship expertise. “I nonetheless imagine that apps are an extremely useful software that can assist you join with individuals,” she mentioned.

In a current collaboration with Espresso Meets Bagel, Fishbowl tapped into the app’s person base to drive attendance at its pitch-style singles occasion, displaying how digital and offline relationship experiences can reinforce one another.

The targets of apps and in-person occasions are the identical: put your self on the market, be open-minded and make connections.

Joell Tee, co-founder of Fishbowl

Finally, it’s about creating alternatives for individuals to have interaction in ways in which really feel genuine to them—whether or not that’s by a display, in a curated group setting, or each.

• Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: Till 11:11/ Fishbowl