A swipe-based mobile platform that simplifies roommate and housing discovery for international students through mutual matching, lifestyle compatibility scoring, and verified-only profiles.
01 · The Problem
"There is no fast, intuitive, and compatibility-driven way to find roommates or housing."
Current platforms like Facebook groups, Craigslist, and WhatsApp were designed for listing, not for matching. They have no compatibility filters, no verification, and no mutual consent mechanism before someone can message you.
Facebook groups mix housing posts with event announcements, community updates, and spam. Finding a real listing requires scrolling through hundreds of irrelevant posts.
Craigslist and broker sites are full of listings filled months ago. No platform has a real-time availability signal.
None of the existing platforms match on lifestyle. You can filter by price and location but not on sleep schedule, cleanliness habits, or cultural preferences.
02 · The Product
Built on a familiar swipe mechanic but designed around real-world compatibility under financial and logistical pressure.
Intuitive swipe-based discovery. Right for interested, left to pass. The interaction pattern is zero-learning-curve.
No unsolicited contact. Both parties must express interest before any conversation starts. Eliminates spam, harassment, and anxiety.
Structured matching on sleep schedule, cleanliness habits, social life, study hours, and cultural preferences. A compatibility score is visible on every profile.
Two unified sections: Roommates (person-to-person matching) and Housing (rooms, units, landlords). One app handles both sides.
Student and work email verification plus image upload. Fake listings and catfishing are eliminated at onboarding.
03 · Pricing Strategy
Roomie follows a freemium model. The core matching experience is free, and revenue comes from premium features that enhance the experience without gating essential functionality.
Create a profile, take the compatibility quiz, swipe and match, and message your matches. Everything a student needs to find a roommate.
Skip the guessing. See profiles that already swiped right on you, get unlimited swipes, and access advanced compatibility filters (budget range, move-in date, pet preferences).
Pin your housing listing or roommate profile to the top of search results for 7 days. Ideal for landlords and students with an urgent timeline.
The pricing is intentionally low - students are price-sensitive, and the goal at pre-seed stage is adoption, not margin. Revenue scales with volume: even at a 15% premium conversion rate, 10,000 users generates $80K+ annually.
04 · Unit Economics
A freemium model with three paid feature tiers delivering strong unit economics at scale.
05 · The Ask
Four milestones across 12 months to prove product-market fit before a seed raise.
Launch functional app. Core features: compatibility quiz, email verification, mutual matching. Target: 200 verified profiles at launch.
Partner with 2+ Boston universities. Activate ambassador program. Target: 500 verified users and first paid conversions.
Reach 1,000 active users. Confirm real-world LTV:CAC of 2.83x and ARPU of $11 across all three premium features.
Hit 10,000 users and $80K Year 1 revenue. Lock in 3+ university partnerships. Begin expansion roadmap.
Team: Aishwarya Sivakumar · Shubham Ghadi · Mihir Sawant · Northeastern University · MS Digital Media