We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Drew and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe business related success is based on several factors and can be subjective, but for Rater and myself personally, it all comes down to passion, focused commitment, grit and the ability to pivot as needed. The online dating sector is competitive and ever evolving, so Rater must listen to its members’ continuous feedback, take that feedback, and put it to work.

What should our readers know about your business?

Rater is a singles social app that launched on Google Play and The App Store in 2022. The mission of Rater is rooted in an experience that I had in 2018 when I was victimized in a romance scam after meeting a man on a dating app. With Rater, we are building a multi-tiered solution for the problem of profile catfishing and blatant user dishonesty by combining AI, human verification/feedback, and real-life event alternatives:

• User-to-user human verification system rating system allows matches to have a convenient way to call out and report scammers and catfishers. The star ratings also reward honest and authentic daters, as higher-rated and verified profiles are shown first in the matching algorithm.

• Sex offender and violent felon checks conducted in the user start-up (to keep the platform safe and compliant of the Rater Terms of Use) + ID and photo member verification.

• The ‘Radar by Rater’ brand hosted city by city pop-up mixer series for the singles experiencing swiping fatigue and craving real-life connection in addition to the in app user generated events module (member hosted).

As a first time Founder, the road has been a lot of twists and turns, It has not been easy, but it’s been worth it! I’d like the world to know that you never have to stay a ‘victim’ and you do always have a voice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In the LA area, I like a restaurant called Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine. It’s got the cutest, most serene garden. I think you definitely have to check out the Santa Monica area Wally’s! They have the most delicious charcuterie boards! Watching the sunset at the beach in Venice is very memorable and touches the soul.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to some of Rater’s early friends & family supporters, as they truly believed in me & saw my commitment and passion. The mission behind Rater resonated with them, which is very important. These supporters include my Dad + Stepmom (Ted and Debra), Drena Rollerson and Corinn Brandel. In terms of respected mentors and advisors, I’d like to give a shoutout to Chrissy Donnelly of Cultivo, plus Rachel Kimelman and Jordan Weiss.  Also, Scott Bright of BrightCheck has been a great mentor and partner for both myself and Rater!

Website: www.raterdownload.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rater.singles.app

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-drew-827096251/

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