Singaporeans are now chasing experiences, not swipes
In May 2025, several Singaporean singles boarded a group trip to Japan together—but it wasn’t their usual holiday.
Not knowing each other’s age, occupation, or relationship history, participants were paired on daily “dates,” wrote anonymous letters to those who caught their eye, and completed mini couple missions designed to spark connection.
Like contestants on dating show Single’s Inferno, they shared rooms with others of the same gender, navigating growing crushes, shifting dynamics, and the occasional emotional revelation.
This is Until 11:11, a Singapore-based dating and social experience platform that runs curated overseas trips and singles mixers. And it’s part of a movement of experience-driven matchmaking that’s gaining traction as more Singaporeans grow fatigued with traditional dating apps.
Not your usual matchmaking experiences
At Until 11:11’s overseas singles trips, participants get to know each other over the course of four to six days. There is a focus on numerology (a practice that offers insights into personality, compatibility, and life tendencies based on an individual’s birthdate and name), apart from a mix of structured activities and free-form socialising.
After all, the platform—whose name nods to the angel number 1111, often associated with major life changes—was built around the idea of transformation and connection, explained Ching Ling Leo, the co-founder of the business.
Ching Ling, a 25-year-old student at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, runs Until 11:11 together with business owner Ric Ang, 50. The pair met when Ching Ling interned at a company where Ric was working, and began hosting numerology-themed singles events in Singapore in 2024.
Until 11:11’s local parties, held once every two to three months with about 30 participants, offer compatibility readings, tarot sessions, and even crystal-making workshops, giving attendees a unique lens into themselves and others.
The platform takes it a step further with its curated overseas trips. Launched last year, these experiences are amplified beyond the confines of a typical singles mixer, and demand appears strong, too.
To date, Until 11:11 has organised seven groups of singles trips, typically in groups of less than 20, to destinations including Vietnam and East Malaysia, despite prices reaching up to S$1,800 per participant.
Overseas singles trips are not the only experiential dating concept on the rise in Singapore. Across the city-state, Fishbowl offers a different take: a “Shark Tank–style” singles pitch night.
Here, participants spend an evening putting themselves—or their friends—on stage in three-minute pitches. “The idea is simple—put together your best three-minute PowerPoint presentation (or a pitch in any other format), show up and present it, and mingle afterwards to get to know new people,” shared Joell Tee, the 28-year-old behind the initiative.
Joell started Fishbowl together with a friend after coming across a similar event held in Vietnam via TikTok. Initially, the duo hosted a small gathering for friends and friends of friends, but the concept quickly caught on, eventually drawing the attention of brands and larger audiences.
Since the first in Aug 2024, Joell has held four Fishbowl sessions, collaborating with brands such as Oatly and Coffee Meets Bagel to bring together singles and friends in a lively, interactive setting that can host up to 100 participants per event.
The work behind curated matchmaking
However, events such as these are far from easy to organise. Overseas trips, in particular, come with a host of logistical complexities.
To handle the details, Until 11:11 partners with I Quadrant Travel Agency, which takes care of travel arrangements and on-the-ground logistics. Each trip is also planned at least six months in advance to ensure they run as smoothly as possible.
There’s also the matter of safety and vetting participants. To sign up for an Until 11:11 trip, potential attendees fill out a Google form, which allows the organisers to handpick participants. Applicants are asked to include a social media handle with a visible photo, along with a brief explanation of why they would be a good fit for the trip.
Invitations are then sent to participants deemed suitable. “The selection process and invitation sending are manual and time-consuming,” said Ching Ling, adding that overseas trips are often scheduled back-to-back with local singles events, leaving little time for rest.
Until 11:11 isn’t the only platform taking a curated approach to modern dating. Teddy Lounge, a private, invite-only dating app, operates more like a members’ club than a typical matchmaking platform—and that means more work for founder Nam Soeun.
Every applicant is screened before being admitted. Profiles are reviewed manually, background details are assessed, and shortlisted candidates may even go through interviews to determine suitability. Soeun enlists a handful of “managers” to help with this process—they not only review applications, but also personally deliver physical invitation cards to suitable applicants and explain how Teddy Lounge works.
Memberships hinge on a “medal” system. These medals certify certain traits or achievements, and can include high income (minimum S$100K annually, verified via payslips or tax documents), ownership of prime properties, academic excellence, or social influence.
Prospective members need at least one medal to gain access. According to Soeun, the medals aren’t meant to rank or judge members—they simply set expectations up front, reducing awkward early-stage questions and making connections more transparent from the start.
Currently, Teddy Lounge is in pre-launch, with around 500 early users already onboarded, according to its website. Soeun shared that members appreciate the platform as a space for “more natural, meaningful connections, romantic or otherwise.” The app is scheduled for an official launch in early 2026, pending final testing and refinements.
Finding meaningful connections isn’t a sure shot
Though more are turning to these platforms, finding meaningful connections isn’t a sure shot—however, the intentional approach may improve the odds.
On Teddy Lounge, users can unlock just three profiles per day—a deliberate limit to encourage “slower, more thoughtful” engagement. For those who don’t find a match right away, the app offers other ways to connect.
Its “Party” page, for instance, lets members share or join interest-based social activities. “Some users have met through activities like poker nights on the Party page and became friends rather than romantic matches,” shared Soeun.
As for Until 11:11, most participants become good friends and remain in contact long after, shared Ching Ling. Some form couples, others may not fully connect with the group, but still “leave with a stronger understanding of themselves.”
Initially, Ching Ling and Ric measured success by how many couples formed at their events. But it was soon clear that this metric couldn’t capture the full impact of the experiences.
Even if people are together now, they might part ways in the future. There’s no real way to gauge whether it’s “good” that two people got together, only that their meeting was fated.
Ching Ling Leo, co-founder of Until 11:11
On a more tangible level, she shared that success could be seen as customer satisfaction, like “seeing participants having fun or hanging out,” but those moments are “fleeting.”
“Now, we see success as when participants are able to fully open themselves to the experience, embracing all their emotions and walking away feeling that they’ve learned something about themselves or life.”
Could this mark the end of traditional dating apps?
When asked about dating trends in Singapore, Ching Ling observed that there has been “a lot of singles mixers” popping up over the last few months. To her, it signals a “growing desire for real connections beyond screens.”
While the surge inevitably brings more competition for Until 11:11, she believes it’s ultimately positive for Singapore’s dating scene. Different platforms can cater to different audiences and intentions—a contrast to traditional dating apps, where users are often part of a wide, generic pool.
For many of these app users, the experience is tiring and frustrating: mismatched intentions, undefined relationships, and endless dead-end texting. Curated experiences can cut through that noise.
But not everyone sees the rise of curated experiences as a rejection of traditional dating apps.
Joell, the founder of Fishbowl, views them instead as a complement to the online dating experience. “I still believe that apps are an incredibly helpful tool to help you connect with people,” she said.
In a recent collaboration with Coffee Meets Bagel, Fishbowl tapped into the app’s user base to drive attendance at its pitch-style singles event, showing how digital and offline dating experiences can reinforce each other.
The goals of apps and in-person events are the same: put yourself out there, be open-minded and make connections.
Joell Tee, co-founder of Fishbowl
Ultimately, it’s about creating opportunities for people to engage in ways that feel authentic to them—whether that’s through a screen, in a curated group setting, or both.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Until 11:11/ Fishbowl
