Facts about Christiana Maxion
Christiana Maxion
Christiana Maxion, a native New Yorker now making waves in Dubai, is revolutionising the dating scene with her innovative matchmaking approach. After a successful career in education as a school leader and published author, Christiana transitioned to the world of matchmaking, driven by her passion for connecting people in a city that represents over two hundred nationalities. Since moving to Dubai in 2019, she has leveraged her diverse background and experience to transform modern dating. Her mission is to rewrite the blueprint of the dating world, making meaningful connections more accessible and impactful.
Q&a
Where did the idea of launching a matchmaking app and getting involved in tech originate?
So, regarding the technology, as I mentioned before,, the offline agents can only handle a limited number of clients per quarter. Our tech solution was designed to scale our services and reach a broader audience of accomplished professionals. While not everyone needs to be high-net-worth, my goal is to shift the behaviours typically seen on traditional dating apps.
Instead of labelling ourselves as a dating app, we position ourselves as a matchmaking app. We’ve digitised the services our clients appreciate, combining compatibility and concierge features to streamline the process of arranging in-person meetings.
Currently, we’re based in Dubai. We launched five months ago and recently surpassed five-figure revenue for the first time last month.
You mentioned it’s not just about high-net-worth individuals. Does that mean your pool of women includes a range of people, or are some only interested in high-net-worth dating? Is everyone on the platform open to various types of matches?
The approach I took with Maxion, which is exclusively my own, was to digitise our services so that anyone can apply to become a Maxion member. Unlike other apps where anyone can join or which operate on a freemium model, our platform is not free. Membership requires a subscription, but it’s priced significantly lower than traditional offline services. Our subscriptions start at 399 dirhams per month, or about $100.
What do you get for that price?
So, with a one-month membership, you get full access to our platform. Anyone can apply to become a Maxion member, but we have a screening process. You need to verify your passport, and we review your LinkedIn profile to understand your professional background.
One of our marketing slogans is, “Ditch the working girls for a woman with a career,” which the guys really appreciate. For women, we use the slogan, “Drop the F-boy for a man with a plan.”
Once you’re a Maxion member and have created your profile, our tech sends you daily matches based on personal values and life goals, rather than just random swipes. If both parties agree to connect, our system handles scheduling, booking, and confirming the first date.
When you send matches through the app, is that done manually, or is it handled by AI?
What people love about the app is that it cuts through the time wasted on messaging. On traditional dating apps, people often feel disposable—just names on a screen. If someone says one wrong thing, it’s easy to move on to the next person, especially with so many options.
With Maxion, if we both agree that there’s a mutual connection, you and I would share our availability, and the app will handle planning our first date. And while the app automates much of the process, I do get personally involved to ensure everything runs smoothly.
How many matches do you typically send out each day or month?
Currently, we send out one match per day. Our goal is to change the dating app experience from endlessly swiping through countless profiles.
How long did it take to build the app?
The idea for Maxion began at the end of 2022. In 2023, I spent time enlisting people to help build the prototype, though we faced challenges and built it incorrectly three times before finally getting it right. By the end of August 2023, we had developed the product, and despite it being less than a year, we’ve achieved impressive success. We debuted on the App Store on December 4th, 2023, and officially launched our beta on February 4th, 2024.
In just five and a half months, we’ve seen substantial growth, with over 3,500 applications from the UAE, 1,400 monthly active users, and we recently surpassed five-figure revenue.
Maxion is a personal project of mine, and while I still enjoy working with my offline agency and clients occasionally, I’m passionate about Maxion’s potential to create meaningful connections on a larger scale. Dubai, like many expat cities, can be lonely as people often arrive on job visas without close friends or family. This sometimes leads to “proximity settling,” where individuals connect with those around them rather than finding truly compatible partners. My vision for Maxion is to help make expat cities less lonely by facilitating genuine connections.
From a business model perspective, it seems that the more successful you are at helping clients find their ideal match, the more you might limit your income opportunities with the app. Given that your ideal client might find a long-term partner and potentially stop needing your services, do you have any upsell or cross-sell strategies, or other ways to enhance your business model to ensure continued revenue while still delivering dream relationships?
What’s fantastic about being a matchmaker is that when you successfully match someone, they often share their positive experience with their friends. This word-of-mouth referral is a major part of our business model. For instance, earlier this year, a group of business partners joined as clients after one of them had a successful match. Their satisfaction led the others to seek our services, resulting in multiple people dating at the same time.
What does the future hold?
What excites me about matchmaking is our ability to foster love on a larger scale. We’ve just begun in Dubai with expat connections, and we’re expanding with a portal for Indian connections. We’re also localising our product for Muslim marriages, as the divorce rate among Muslim couples in the UAE is notably higher than in the USA. There seems to be a gap, and I’m eager to address it to support long-lasting marriages.
Do you keep these pools separate, so for instance, Muslim clients aren’t mixed with the expat client base?
Yes, we keep these pools separate because, as a matchmaker, I’ve found that certain cultures prefer to marry within their own cultural group. To provide the most compatible partners, we create distinct portals for each culture. I also plan to expand across the GCC to make expat cities less lonely and dominate this region. This area is ripe with opportunities, and there’s no other homegrown app catering specifically to it. Our tagline is “Outsource your love life, elevate your connections,” as we aim to streamline the process and facilitate genuine in-person connections.