Social Network connects Chicago Couples

CoupleStop.com founder, Erik Carrier, knows how it feels to get lost in the hustle-bustle of Chicago social life.  Soon after moving from Des Moines, IA to Lincoln Park, a Chicago neighborhood north of the Loop, in late 2006, Erik met his girlfriend Marta, also new to life in downtown Chicago.

"We were a couple new to Chicago, both of us work full-time and our single friends just wanted to drink and party," Erik said, "I decided to start posting ads on Craigslist."  The results were astonishing; five Chicago couples responded in the first day.  "I said, 'hey, there's a real demand for this out there' and I was right!"

Since its inception in June of 2008, CoupleStop has developed a robust social network of Chicago couples.  Hundreds of Chicago couples have joined CoupleStop and met couple friends.  Erik attributes CoupleStop's success to the simplicity of registration and efficiency of the search function.  "We spent many hours perfecting the Couple Search function to make it as specific and efficient as possible.  We wanted a search engine for couples not unlike Match.com." 

Indeed, competing couple networks, like Kupple.com and Couplets.com, require little information about the couples who register resulting in less refined search results.  Erik also cites the issue of geography in competing search results.  “I would search Kupple.com and get results in Topeka, KS.  I already have a Facebook account; I don’t need anymore digital friends.  I was looking for couple friends to catch a Friday night Black Hawks game or dinner at RL.  I developed a social network exclusively for local Chicago couples.  My goal is to populate the site with couples one geographic area at a time.”

As CoupleStop continues to grow its network of Chicago couples, Erik hopes to expand the service to other US cities.  "My hope is that a young couple using our service in Chicago can use it to meet new couple friends when they get transferred to LA or New York.  A broad network of friends is something every couple needs and the younger generations are comfortable meeting those couple friends online."