Gather Application Wants to Connect Jakarta's "Jomblos" and Friends on the Facebook Network

Gather is a matchmaking service application that will help "singles" in Jakarta find their date. Unlike the popular Tinder, Gather has a different approach, which is to connect someone with a potential partner who is still in their circle of friends. The main key of this application is the use of Facebook, as a user account as well as a data source. Garther is currently only available for plarfrom iOS.

Application users will be presented with partner recommendations based on the circles on Facebook they have, including both second and third level circles (example: friends of friends on Facebook). This is considered to provide more security to the user. Users can view other brief user information taken from Facebook such as profile photos, work, and similar hobbies and friends.

Users can also choose to like or dislike someone. If the two like each other, they will be able to view each other's profiles and start messaging within the app. Alternatively, users can also send virtual balloons to show their interest to other users.

Gather also provides analysis based on the user's location. With this feature, users can search for a partner based on their travel routine in Jakarta. For example, if two Gather users meet while riding a busway, they can connect to each other at the Gather. This feature is unique because the application also tells the two users where and when they passed each other in the real world.

This app was created by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Jim Yang and Min Gyung Kang. Born in Indonesia, Jim had sold his technology company, Identyx, to Red Hat in 2008. After that, he chose to become a angel investors and advisor to a number of startups in the United States. One of his most famous investments is in Refinery29, a fashion media which now has a valuation of around IDR 4,1 trillion. Jim also holds an advisory position at Founder Dating, a social network for entrepreneurs.

As a person born in Surabaya, Jim admitted that he had gone through the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur in Indonesia. Since in college, he has created a search engine and an email server called Bimasakti and Bimamail. He also briefly established an e-commerce joint venture with local conglomerate Salim Group. However, the 1998 economic crisis hampered all of that.