From Online to Offline: The Cogxio Dating App Connects Singles Under 30

The Short Version: A popular dating app for young people in India, Cogxio brings singles together in a casual dating environment that’s completely safe and free. On the app, users know they’re connecting with a real person because Cogxio puts its members through a rigorous four-step background check. Thanks to this vetting process, online singles feel secure and confident when planning to meet up in real life for a first date.

Dating apps can be treacherous territory. Single and in our early 20s, my friends and I tiptoe our way through minefields of unknown dating profiles, aware that a misstep could land us in the middle of a bad date.

One night, my roommate started chatting with a guy who told her he was a med student, Catholic, and a dog lover. That’s pretty much the holy trinity for her.

“So, do you like him?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Not really. He could be in his 40s and have two heads for all I know.”

That’s the struggle of online dating. You don’t really know until you meet, and not everyone is willing to take that chance. Some dating apps are looking to improve that issue, however, and give singles the security to connect both online and offline.

After earning his degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering, Layak Singh became intrigued by how technology can enhance social relations. He saw a need for greater security for young singles using mobile dating. A foodie, writer, and entrepreneur, Layak then added CEO and Founder of Cogxio to his resume.

Begun in May 2013, Cogxio is a dating app geared toward casual romantic encounters. Here, users meet in real time and get recommendations for where and how to meet in real life.

“Cogxio is itself a complete platform which focuses on end-to-end dating,” Layak said. It doesn’t just match singles, but actually encourages them to meet up for a movie or dinner.

This dating app is built to be a safe social space where singles connect privately. A free service, with no advertising, the platform is a popular introduction app for Indian youths. Layak told us the primary user base is in India, and 90% of users fall in the age range of 18-24. About 60% of users are men and 40% women.

Recently, Cogxio has surpassed 45,000 users and expects even more growth in the coming six months.

Casual dating is the name of the game for this dating app. It provides fast ways to find a match, including tag-based searches and no-wait chatting. You can text, talk, or send stickers anywhere and anytime using your mobile phone — all for free.

This app fosters instant attraction: that spark that draws you to meet. It’s more about connecting than committing. Layak said that for the time being, the app is more suited for (and marketed toward) causal connections rather than serious matchmaking.

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“As a user, if you go to the platform, it helps you to connect to the person you want to connect to. With initial swiping, you can connect completely and instantly,” Layak explained. “Once you connect, you can chat and you can actually plan to go to dinner, movie — anything you want to do with any particular person.”

Because it’s a casual dating app, success is measured by the number of introductions rather than the number of marriages Cogxio has led to.

According to Layak, approximately 30% of those who connect on Cogxio then go on to use the planning feature to meet each other offline. He added that the team will soon augment the app’s user-friendly features to increase that match percentage in coming years.

Recognizing the vulnerability of people trying to date online, Layak places great emphasis on the safety and privacy of his app. Cogxio takes members through four identification steps before signing them up to mix and mingle. The team verifies the user’s identity to discourage scammers and frauds.

“We don’t allow you email sign up,” he said. “You can only sign up through social profiles: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, anything that you want to connect with.”

Users must also submit a valid identification such as a passport, driver’s license, Social Security number, PAN card, or other government-issued IDs.

Taking users from offline to online, Cogxio’s tagline is “Start a New Beginning with Someone.”

Layak emphasizes the importance of knowing who you’re talking to when online. Because the app encourages meeting up in real life, it’s vital that every user is authenticated first.

“We have that four-step identification to guarantee that the people coming to our site are actually real,” he said, “because we focus more on quality than quantity.”

Bottom line: When you talk to someone on Cogxio, you can feel sure that it’s a real person.

Cogxio is run by a team of 12 people, the majority of whom work on developing top-notch technological features. Perfecting the app from front to back, the combined efforts of this core group make the app run smoothly and efficiently.

Layak Singh founded Cogxio in May 2013.

All employees are necessary to the success of the app, with managers, engineers, writers, developers, and graphic designers drawing from their expertise to create a well-rounded product.

Bigger and grander plans are always in the pipeline as Cogxio expands its services to better connect singles.

Layak keeps his eyes on the long term of the company, pushing his team to innovate and come up with helpful solutions in the online dating space. He hints that users can expect new developments in prediction technology to be launched in the fall of 2016.

Over many late nights, the Cogxio team works hard to build features that enhance the user’s experience and bring greater value to mobile dating.

Part of that value is in remaining a free service, with no advertisements and no hidden charges impeding the user’s ability to meet and connect at will. Cogxio is available for free for anyone looking to flirt in real time. “We don’t want to charge now, nor in coming time,” the CEO says.

A trustworthy dating app, Cogxio ensures absolute safety and instant connection for youths looking for a casual date. “It takes you more into a real-life scenario,” Layak explained, “where you connect with a person and have a real-life conversation together.”

Of course, this app has the added bonus of also vetting people for you before you even start chatting. You can flirt without fear, knowing that people are who they say they are. That’s a huge relief for singles (like my roommate) worried about being scammed by a stranger.

The product of many brainstorming sessions, Cogxio is ever improving its innovative features. With thousands of singles in its ranks — and still growing — this dating app has much to offer by way of short-term introductions and long-term possibilities.