From entrepreneurs to royalty: This S’pore-based matchmaking app helps you date high-flyers

Anisa Hassan, 50, had a thriving background in journalism. She was headhunted by then-Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) — now Mediacorp — for the role of producer and host, and following that, she became one of the 10 anchors to kickstart Channel NewsAsia.

Despite her success, 2003 was the year she chose to step away from the “lights, camera, action” at Channel NewsAsia.

She later dipped her toes in the matchmaking industry in 2004, bringing over American dating franchise ‘It’s Just Lunch’ to Singapore.

When the brand ended its tenure in 2017, she founded Date High Flyers International (DHF), which offers personalised matchmaking services that served a niche market: professionals, business owners, and high net worth individuals (HNWIs) who have marriage in mind.

Never imagining herself on this path, she dubs herself an accidental entrepreneur.

I was looking for growth and an opportunity to stretch myself. Entrepreneurship was furthest from my mind. I didn’t come from a business background, nor did I think I’d have the business acumen to create or start a business.

Personalised dating for the select few

The proliferation of dating apps have many singles assuming that matchmakers are outdated, and an expense they can do away with. 

Anisa acknowledges that dating independently has worked on many levels. However, she points out that there are time-starved individuals who appreciate the value of time, effort, and attention matchmakers are able to provide for them.

It can be daunting vetting profiles after profiles not knowing someone’s background, real intention, and objective. Matchmakers take away that guesswork. Plus, there are dating patterns that individuals may be blindsided by if we don’t step in to draw attention to or away from.

Paying top dollar for a luxury matchmaking service means increased transparency and a higher level of compatibility that can only come about because the middle person has both parties’ interests at heart.

She adds that she has no particular matchmaking spiel. Instead, it all begins with a private conversation and the intention to serve if the requirements are within her reach. She is adamant in providing a personalised service, thus only extending her time and energy to a select group of individuals.

DHF has two categories: Luxe, and Black Label Memberships. Luxe is a local membership where clients are matched with others based in Singapore. The membership accounts here are run by Anisa’s team of trained matchmakers.

Meanwhile, Black Label is personally managed by Anisa and it is limited to 50 clients, usually men in their 40s to 60s. This membership opens up matches from within the local and international database. She also personally headhunts for other candidates for them and provides her clients with personalised coaching on how best to navigate the dating world.

While dealing with the affluent involves handling a multitude of privacy issues, DHF ensures that all personal information remains within the private domain. They never release last names, residential addresses, places of work et cetera, ensuring its clients information is not easily searchable.

Anisa’s clientele comprises professionals, including doctors, lawyers, bankers, academics, and senior management corporate executives. Some 40 per cent are entrepreneurs and there are others who include political and public figures, as well as members of royal families.

Half of these clients are referred by other clients, business associates, and friends. 

According to Anisa, she works on a retainer basis, typically ranging from six months to a year, and prices vary between S$1,000 and S$5,500 a month. 

A multi-step process to finding love

The selection process is a rigorous one. Once a person has registered with DHF, the team arranges a pre-screening process with the prospective client over the phone or via Zoom.

We ask them a series of questions that would ascertain their general objectives, academic backgrounds, and professions. We’ll also review their parameters with which they want us to work on.

If their requirements are reasonable and we are able to meet those requirements, only then will we offer a face-to-face interview with the prospect. During the interview, a prospect can expect a more in-depth interview where details such as family history, relationship history, and ideal partner are discussed fully.

Following that, the first introduction is arranged exclusively by DHF since it involves logistical arrangements, pre-date coaching, and post-date feedback. Subsequently, the couples can arrange meetings on their own. 

Complementing her services with tech

For the past almost two decades in the industry, Anisa and her team have matched over 1,000 couples who have moved on to marry, or are still in long committed relationships. The overall success rate ranges between 60 and 85 per cent. 

Moving forward, Anisa says that DHF will continue to remain a personalised matchmaking service as she sees it as filling a niche gap in the industry. The human touch aspect of the business also makes every success story more meaningful and significant for her and the team.

She has since entered the digital space with her own app, ‘Let’s Joompa’. It caters specifically to Muslim singles in Southeast Asia, and helps makes her business more “mass-market friendly”. Since its soft launch in Malaysia in 2019, the app has garnered more than 15,000 downloads so far.

As a matchmaker and an entrepreneur, I have to constantly grow and evolve with the times. I intend to codify what I’ve learnt as a matchmaker over the last two decades and create an online platform that’s safe, ethical, and effective. I intend to lean into this platform to help achieve my lifelong mission of creating a million marriages worldwide.

Featured Image Credit: Date High Flyers