"My master's degree at Birkbeck was the perfect match"
Think there’s only one way? Think again. Entrepreneur Alexander Flint Mitchell gave up studying law to enroll on a master’s in Business Innovation at Birkbeck to kickstart his business, a matchmaking app with a difference.
I had a lightbulb moment
The idea of matchmaking app came to me whilst I was working in the City as an internationally qualified lawyer. I found the reality of being a lawyer very boring and would end up spending most of the day daydreaming about a concept for an app, and the research I was conducting for it, which I coined ‘Blind Cupid’.
I had to pursue my idea
I gave up my legal career and enrolled at Birkbeck, initially working in the day and studying in the evening. One of the early modules, Entrepreneurial Venture Creation, required us to write a business plan. That’s when I decided to quit my day job to commit fully to Blind Cupid.
Blind Cupid is matchmaking app with a difference
The app uses a never-before-used science to match people based on their fundamental values, giving users the chance to know that they are in fact compatible before they even engage with matches.
The greatest thing about this technology is that it can be used in any app in the world - meaning that users of Bumble, Hinge and more can now find out if the people that they are talking to on those apps are compatible with them. This has never been done before.
My Master’s degree felt like mentorship
The content of my course taught me so much and the different personalities of the academics made each module enjoyable. Alongside my Master’s, I enrolled on Birkbeck’s Pioneer programme, which helps students and alumni start and grow their businesses. It proved to be transformational as I really learnt the basics, established the foundations of my business, and made some amazing connections which grew my network.
Today I manage a team of 16
We’ve successfully raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to bring conceptual philosophy into technology for the first time; we’ve created the world’s first decentralised compatibility platform that can power the whole dating market, and more.
We have plans to license our matchmaking technology to other apps and have set our sights on entering other markets with our technology, such as recruitment, where compatibility matters.
There’s always the opportunity to change your path
Whether you have gone to university before or not, or you are totally changing career, Birkbeck is brilliantly individualistic and probably the most accessible place on the planet. I have seen net benefits of doing the degree amongst my peers – some are now entrepreneurs in their home countries; others have progressed well with their companies. Birkbeck is full of people from different backgrounds who share one thing in common: to become their ideal self. And that is what makes it a really fun and great place to be.
Think you’re too busy to change your life? Think again.