Pajama Entrepreneur

Bookioo is a Spanish social networking and dating site with a twist: unlike other sites, it puts women in control of their profiles and turns the tables on men. In most dating sites, the men take most of the initiative contacting women. On Bookioo, it’s up to women to contact men.

As described in Springwise: “. . . Bookioo does not give men any way to learn about or contact the female members of the site. Men can join for free, if they have been invited—and if a current Bookioo member can vouch for their information. They can then post a profile for the perusal of the female—and paying—members of the site. It’s those paying women, however, who get to call the shots. Female members see all the details in men’s profiles—including ratings and comments from other Bookioo members—and it’s also up to them to initiate contact with the ones they find interesting. They can request double-dates for added security, if they wish; also available is the option of connecting with other women on the site. Female members are charged EUR 35.90 for three months or EUR 59.90 for six months to keep their profiles private; if, after a free seven-day trial, they decide not to join, they can keep using the site with a public profile.”

I visited the Bookioo site and created a profile. It’s in Spanish for now, but they are launching an English language version soon. Although Springwise’s article calls it a dating site, it’s more than that. It’s really a networking site designed for women and their (female) friends. There’s a calendar of activities in your city (in my case, I chose Barcelona). The interface is easy to use and very cheerful. The emphasis on privacy is also unusual in the world of social networking/dating sites.

Q&A with David Olmos, co-founder of Bookioo

How would you describe Bookioo?

Bookioo is a web site that reinvigorates women’s social lives. The site gravitates around social activities and plans: a woman searches a plan, finds friends and socializes. We want to revamp online dating with a “women driven” perspective, addressing women’s issues: security and privacy.

We think that women don’t feel comfortable with the current dating sites. The latter are too masculine: they were designed by men and they fundamentally address men’s needs. We know that many women prefer a different approach: they’re eager to socialize, to meet new people, and we propose to do that through activities. It may lead them to find a partner, of course, but they may as well enjoy an afternoon in a museum with a new girl friend whom they met Bookioo! So we propose to socialize through activities, common hobbies and common tastes.

As you can see, we actually want to revamp the “dating” concept, taking the perspective of women.
The key issue for us is to make sure that women enjoy the level of privacy they wish and that the males’ profiles are fully validated.

Who are the founders of Bookioo?

The founders are Gonzalo Gómez-Acebo (CMO) and me (CEO). We created Bookioo in the first quarter of 2008. We launched the private beta in March 2009 and the public site in June 2009. We’re now a team of six (3 women, 3 men).

Are you self-funded or angel-funded?

Bookioo is funded by its founders and also by an important group of angel investors in Spain (please allow me to keep their identity confidential by now). At our first round we raised €250,000. We’re now in the process of raising our second round.

Do you plan to expand outside Spain?

We’re preparing the launch in France. Our roadmap includes UK, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.