# Matcha > Matcha is a dating app for Milan that turns every match into a pre-booked drink at a partner venue. No endless chats, just people meeting in person. - Author: [Jacopo Marcolini](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com), Deployment Strategist & Product Design Lead - Role: Co-founder · CXO & CMO - Year: 2026 - Area: Product Design - Tags: Mobile App, Brand, Marketplace - Links: [matchadating.it](https://matchadating.it), [@matchadating_it](https://www.instagram.com/matchadating_it/) - Web page: https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/case-studies/matcha ![The Matcha wordmark and tagline on charcoal, surrounded by halftone cut-outs of a matcha cup, a spritz and friends laughing, with the brand's flower shapes](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/hero.jpg) ## Real dates, not endless chats Matcha starts from a simple observation: the good stuff doesn't happen in chat. Swipe apps keep people matching and messaging for weeks, and very few of those conversations ever turn into a meeting. On Matcha, a match goes straight to a table. Both people say when they're free, pay for their drink in the app, and Matcha books the date at one of its partner venues in Milan. Each date costs €10 per person, drink included. ## A brand, a product and a market to build from zero I co-founded Matcha with the CEO and lead product, design and marketing. We started from a blank page and needed: - **A name and an identity** that feel warm and direct, and look nothing like gamified swipe apps. - **A core flow** where every match ends at a real table, with an in-app payment as the moment people commit. - **A two-sided marketplace**, with singles on one side and a network of partner venues on the other. - **A B2C launch** for people aged 25–40, with a focus on women and the LGBT+ community. ![Store screen: Matcha, for those who really want to go out](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/store-1.webp) ![Store screen: a daily selection of profiles, with interests shown as tags](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/store-2.webp) ![Store screen: picking available time slots across several days](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/store-3.webp) ![Store screen: a confirmed date with countdown, venue and a chat that is still locked](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/store-4.webp) ![Store screen: a new match, with a prompt to confirm the date](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/store-5.webp) ## From naming to launch: how Matcha came together I cover the full product cycle, from naming and branding to the core flow, the store assets and the launch content. ### Brand identity Naming, wordmark and visual identity. The palette uses solid colors (mint, aqua, pink and yellow on charcoal), flower shapes and halftone photography to set Matcha apart from neon swipe-app aesthetics. The same system runs from the app to the store pages and social media. ### Core flow The path from match to a first date paid in-app. People pick time slots on at least five different days, and Matcha finds a venue at a time that works for both. The chat stays locked until two hours before the date and is meant for last-minute logistics only, so the conversation happens at the table. ### Profile setup A short, five-step setup where the profile is the product. At least two photos, interests and personal prompts, and a preview of how others will see you before you publish. A small, deliberate amount of friction that raises the quality of every match. ### Trust and compliance I turned GDPR and consumer law constraints into product requirements. Dates happen in verified public venues, reporting someone also blocks them, and a no-show gives the other person a credit for their next date. ### Partner venues With the CEO, I built the partner venue network through field sales and an AI-assisted CRM: ten venues so far. For launch, bookings run on a lean, manual-first ops process instead of custom tooling, so we could start small and learn quickly. ### Metrics and experiments I defined the north star metrics and the flow variants to test, so every iteration of the funnel has a clear goal and a way to measure it. ## A content engine built with AI I lead B2C marketing. To keep up with a content calendar without a studio, I built the repositories for an AI-assisted content pipeline. Every Instagram post is written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript on top of the brand tokens, then rendered into ready-to-publish images, so copy and visuals can change as quickly as the ideas. ![Instagram post: treasure hunt or date? Other apps lead to endless chats, Matcha to a drink in person](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-treasure-map.webp) ![Instagram carousel cover: Ready to date? The dating dictionary in ten words](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-glossary.webp) ![Instagram post: a 3D pizza slice with a green flag](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-green-flag-pizza.webp) ![Instagram post: a 3D cocktail with a green flag](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-green-flag-drink.webp) ![Instagram post: the only catfish you'll ever match with on Matcha](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-catfish.webp) ![Instagram post: a couple laughing at a bar, the best connections happen in person](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-in-person.webp) ![Instagram post: a 3D hourglass with a red flag, about arriving late without warning](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-red-flag-late.webp) ![Instagram post: two friends laughing at a table, fewer swipes, more smiles](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/images/case-studies/matcha/post-more-smiles.webp) ### The launch trailer [Video: Matcha launch trailer, 30 seconds, in Italian](https://www.jacopomarcolini.com/videos/case-studies/matcha/trailer.mp4) A 30-second vertical trailer for the Instagram launch, built the same way as the posts: animated in HTML and CSS, rendered frame by frame, and paired with an AI-generated voice-over. The story follows the product: three weeks of chat and no date, until the chat bubbles burst into the brand's flowers and the scene moves to a real table, a toast and a laugh. ## Getting people off their phones Matcha puts product, brand and go-to-market in one system. The name and identity make it feel different at first glance. The core flow makes the meeting the point of the app, the venue network supplies the tables, and the content pipeline reaches the audience in the brand's voice.