The HeroBoyfriend app has launched to all the eager boyfriends out there – to help personalise recommendations for date ideas and gifts.
After nearly two years in development, founder Dan Groch told Women Love Tech HeroBoyfriend is not just for men in relationships; it’s also to help kill the boredom of an ‘average date.’
“You’ve got apps like Tinder for acquisition, but HeroBoyfriend is focused on retention,” Groch said.
“It’s set to surpass the likes of Broadsheet and Time Out listing websites, by taking the hard work out of date planning. With over 3000 experiences, activities and gift ideas on file, you’ll never be left wondering what to do on the weekend.”
HeroBoyfriend allows the user to make bookings and buy things directly from the app or add calendar reminders. It will even send reminders so you don’t forget key anniversaries and dates.
The app takes note of the interests of your partner, and can be used to plan an evening out or holiday together.
Groch was inspired to create the app at the end of a 12-year relationship. It’s designed to help men remember to show how much they care after the honey-moon period is over.
“The girl I thought I would grow old with was now ‘my ex’, and I was left trying to make sense of the broken pieces. I never believed that she would leave me. She couldn’t. No way, not after all we had been together for so long. Not when we shared this dream of growing old together,” Groch said.
Groch is an entrepreneur and ex-lawyer who has been involved in numerous ventures including the corporate social media platform ‘Plaudits’ and the popular online flower order service fig & bloom. He’s also the director of code for Australia, the influential not-for- profit that aims to bring together government with leading designers, developers and entrepreneurs.
“After much reflection, it occurred to me that there’s a gap between what women expect and what most guys deliver. HeroBoyfriend also gives users the option to enter their partner’s birthday, interests and their anniversary as a couple,” Groch said.
“The friendly chat bot ‘Dot’ is there to facilitate all your planning needs. You can ask her anything including how to find free activities and recipe ideas, through to planning a 5-star getaway or exclusive customised experience.”
HeroBoyfriend’s head developer is data scientist Dr. CherHan Lau. Dr Lau has worked in Microsoft e-Research centre and built a mobile sensing network, and then joined the Australian Institute of Future Environments to develop a Greenhouse Gas Analysis system. His Ph.D. research focuses on using machine learning and natural language processing techniques to analyse Twitter, which was adopted by Fairfax media for their in-house use.
HeroBoyfriend is free to download and available via the iTunes App Store or Google Play.
