Sources of software-powered love this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is upon us. Since the internet’s very early days, love has been profitable online. eHarmony is an internet O.G. that goes all the way back to 1998. That said, it’s a market that has matured. In fact, a HowAboutWe cofounder even gave some real talk about how a dating startup without loads of VC cash is dead in the water.
So how is Brooklyn looking for growth in the business of human connection, despite the fact that we all die alone? Here are some companies in the biz here that we found:

If you’re looking

Oh Hey: This is the site for when you want to keep it IRL but you didn’t quite manage to score the digits. We wrote about it after it arose from HackBushwick. It’s an attempt to update the classic Craigslist missed connections page, make it a little safer and a little more visual. Look for an update and new feature on the site very soon, according to an email from one of its devs.
Glimpse: Do you love some of the people you follow on Instagram? Like, really, really love them? Maybe they are on Glimpse? It’s a personals site that draws on the Instagram API. The idea is to connect creative people to creative people. Fair warning: you’re limiting yourself to iPhone users, but that’s probably not an issue for iPhone users.
Go all “Truman Show” with your love life: One Wisconsin kid named Brian moved to Clinton Hill and tried to post 30 dates on YouTube. He stopped at 13, though. Last anyone heard from him, he had a girlfriend.
If you just want to think some romantic thoughts to mark the day but can’t really be bothered to get out there, why not futz around with an NYU Game Center game that’s about maneuvering two satellites into smooch position?

Found love?

If you have that special someone but don’t know what to do for them, you might try Williamsburg’s Tribute. The beta-stage startup facilitates creating a tribute video from multiple friends. Friends send video into the site, it cobbles them together and when you’re ready: surprise! Your paramour gets this one sweet video of everyone saying how awesome they are.
Dumbo’s You&Me Concierge might be nice if you want to get traditional but you don’t want to think that much. The site is the former couples side of HowAboutWe (who’s matchmaking vertical got acquired last year by online dating giant IAC). It has loads of date ideas and deals on date ideas. You don’t have to sit at your desk brainstorming or scrolling through blogs full of suggestions that are no longer available. On here, you pick a thing, pay for it and go.
If you want your Valentine’s Day to be both sweet and savory — but in entirely metaphorical ways — Dame Products is almost there. Pre-order hardware from this startup engineered for very soft parts. In other words, it’s a variable speed vibrator built to be worn during sex. It doesn’t get in the way somehow. We don’t know, but it was reviewed in Glamour and someone on staff their enjoyed it.

So. Alone.

Of course, we all know what the killer app for a long-term relationship is, right? Netflix. What’s also the killer app for a breakup? Netflix! How did they pull that off?
That said, if you’re needing something a little more interactive this Saturday to help you come to the grips with the fact that your partner left you because God intended for you to live a life of loneliness, some local gamesmiths came up with a game last year that’s all about breakups.
Nothing too fancy, but it’s all you’re thinking about right now anyway, right? Right. Play it: Five Stages: A Cycle of Ruined Romances.
Of course, it’s not like you can’t be alone and find love online, or something like it. The world of cam girls are more than willing to make you feel like someone’s paying attention. We covered the Kickstarter for Sean Dunne’s Cam Girlz documentary, and now it’s coming out on Valentine’s Day 2015.