Camlink was started in May 2007 and bootstrapped by the founders with the hope of eventually raising venture capital. At that time “Online Speed Dating” was a thing of the future and we thought Camlink would be the first to bring this innovative concept to market. The platform development was completed 5 months behind schedule and way over budget (over 2,500 man hours). This was also a first project for any of us that required significant capital and we had no idea how difficult the fund-raising process really is (we were looking for $2.5M). Over the last 9 months we have failed to materialize on any outside financing. Our competition was ahead of us from the day they came out of stealth mode in the fall of 2007. Since then both have secured B rounds of funding. SpeedDate has raised a total of $8.6M and WooMe raised a whopping $17.4M. The economic climate didn’t make this process easier.  It seems that we were caught about 6 months too late with our start-up. I’m not sure if we would be successful otherwise, but we would have certainly had better chances without such dominant competitors already on the market with solid traffic. If we started 6 months later, we would see the competition on the horizon and not venture in.
We’ve also chose one tough area: Consumer Internet (web2.0) and Online Dating.

We gave Camlink a few months to gain traction, but without financing it made sense for us to call an end to this venture.
This was an exciting journey for all of us. During the time we had to wear many different hats, get little sleep and learn what it is to build an internet company.

Being an an entrepreneur isn’t easy but very exciting. The things we learned and the people we met along the way will be part of the next thing, whatever it is. We want to thank everyone that has helped, challenged and motivated us!

The site will remain up for some time, only for technical demo purposes.

Click on the below image to view the pictures from the party (on Flickr)

Speed Dating was fun as always. The matches have already been emailed to those who participated.
The rest is up to you! Please keep us in the loop, as we’re looking for testimonials.  And I’m sure no one minded the substitution of Grey Goose for the open bar.

Better than any happy hour in town:
2 Hour Vodka Open Bar ($10 cover) 7:30 - 9:30pm
Powered by V2 Vodka (Grey Goose was substituted last minute due to a conflict between the sponsor and the place)
Reduced beer all night ($5)
As always the event featured Speed Dating sessions in the back sound-proof room. Each session gave an opportunity to meet 8 super sexy singles for 5 minutes each.

Now time to plan the next party which will be late August or early September.

Please checkout the pictures from the event.

The next event in at the same great venue: 49 Grove
This time we are experimenting on Friday, so everyone can stay out as late as possible and not worry about the work the following day. We are featuring 2 hour vodka open bar and speed dating sessions in the back (limited number of spots).

EVENT DETAILS:
When: Friday, June 6, 8:00PM

Vodka Open Bar 8-10pm ($10 cover)
Sponsored by V2 Vodka

49 Grove (website)

Address: 49 Grove St (map)
New York, NY 10014

Unlike last event which was invite only, this one is open to the public.
No need to RSVP. FEEL FREE TO BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

Camlink will feature Speed Dating sessions in the sound proof back room. Now you will have the opportunity to meet 8 eligible singles without using some corny pickup lines. Each session will be 5 minutes in length. The cost to participate will be $10.

Please see the pictures from the event.

We’re thrilled to announce that Camlink will be opening its doors to the public on April 10th. But, what good is a site launch without a Launch Party?

We invite the first 50 Camlink users to RVSP and join us at this celebration.