Hello everyone at Unikorn.vn,

Many people in the workforce today face a common issue: They want to find companions to go out for meals, coffee chats, play badminton, engage in sports... or when traveling or on business alone and wish to have someone to guide them in exploring the city but do not know whom to ask. They also encounter many barriers when trying to expand their professional network or find someone for serious dating.

From a product design perspective, today’s swipe applications inadvertently get stuck in a paradox: Trying to maximize the time users stare at their screens and keep them within the app (enforcing prolonged messaging), instead of optimizing for real-life meetings. The consequence is that users become exhausted from back-and-forth messaging, continually face “ghosting”, encounter fake accounts, and the cost of trust gets pushed too high.

From that standpoint, I created Find a Companion to Hang Out (https://timbandichoi.app) with the philosophy: To meet users in real life as quickly, safely, and transparently as possible.

💡 The core mechanisms of the product:

1. Age limit of 20 and above:

• Ensures a mature, civilized, and refined social environment, completely eliminating student accounts or spam profiles.

2. Identity verification & Credibility Score mechanism:

• Currently: Requires linking to 1 social network (LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram) and 1 messaging app (Zalo/Telegram). Strangers will only see nicknames, occupations, interests, and public information; only when both agree to connect will contact information be unlocked (with the option to use Zalo QR code instead of revealing personal phone numbers).

• Regarding the issue of combating fake accounts: I am fully aware that users simply linking to personal profiles cannot fully resolve the issue of accounts that deliberately create sophisticated fakes. Therefore, the system is implementing additional measures:

  • Direct login verification through LinkedIn/Facebook accounts.
  • The Credibility Score system: Accumulated through the number of successful real-life meetings, punctuality rate, and confirmed ratings from dates after meetings.
  • Early warning: Automatically flags accounts that are new, lack verified data, or show abnormal signs.

3. The "No chat in the app" model — Eliminating lengthy texting and then disappearing:

• Does not create an extended chat frame within the app. When both parties agree to connect, the system unlocks the button to directly switch to the official Zalo/Telegram for scheduling dates like two friends in real life.

4. The One-Tap Date Ticket at safe coffee chains:

• Proposes 2–3 available time slots (automatically syncs with Google/Apple Calendar), dividing costs evenly 50-50 right from the start.
• Especially regarding safety boundaries: The Date Ticket is intentionally designed: only allows selecting meeting points at over 310 large public coffee chain branches (Highlands, Phuc Long, Starbucks, Phe La, Trung Nguyen, ...) across 35 provinces to ensure an open space, monitored by cameras, and eliminates the risk of traps into unfamiliar places or bars.
• Responsibility principle: If both parties subsequently agree to move to another location in real life, users (who are all adults aged 20 and above) take personal responsibility for their safety. The app serves as an initial civilized bridge and does not intervene or take responsibility for any private agreements outside the platform.

5. Clear distinction between "Making Friends" and "Dating Mode":

• The default page serves to find friends for outings, sports, dining, and work connections. Anyone looking for romantic connections can actively enable Dating Mode to appear in a separate section, avoiding bothering those who just want to find friends.

6. Radar scanning for real people within 2 hours:

• A solution for work trips or solo