Five thoughtful steps from "sitting near someone interesting" to "actually having a genuine conversation." Every design choice prioritises safety, privacy, and authenticity.
Open CafeConnects at any partner café. Using precise proximity detection (within 10 metres), the app shows you anonymised profiles of people who are physically nearby — matching your declared interests.
No photos. No full names. Just a bio, age, and the interests you have in common. We designed it this way deliberately: connect based on who someone is, not what they look like.
You're connected · 4 people nearby
Matching Interests
🔒 2 more profiles · Tap to unlock premium
Interested in someone? Tap "Poke" on their profile. A Poke is a gentle, low-pressure signal — think of it as a friendly acknowledgement, not a romantic advance.
The other person receives a discreet notification: "Someone at Blue Tokai is interested in you." They can choose to poke back, ignore it, or block. There's absolutely no pressure.
Arjun will be notified anonymously
Arjun at Blue Tokai received your poke. If he's interested, he'll poke back within 7 days.
What happens next:
He sees an anonymous notification
If he pokes back, you both see each other's photos
Chat unlocks while you're both at the café
When both of you have poked each other, the first lock breaks: photos become visible and an ephemeral chat opens. This chat exists only while you're both within 10 metres.
The proximity requirement is intentional — it keeps conversations grounded in the real world. Walk away, and the chat closes. Walk back in, and the warmth picks up right where it left off.
Arjun poked back · Photos unlocked
Arjun, 27
Software Engineer at Razorpay
📍 Within 10m · Chat active
Connections deepen naturally across multiple café visits. After a 2nd mutual poke, the bond strengthens. After a 3rd — the connection fully unlocks: persistent chat, contact info sharing, and a permanent record of your friendship story.
This gradual progression mirrors how real friendships form — not through an algorithm, but through repeated, organic encounters at a place you both love.
3 mutual pokes at Blue Tokai. Chat is now persistent and you can share contact info.
Share Contact Info →Your connection story started at
Blue Tokai, Indiranagar
3 visits · 3 pokes · 1 real friendship
Safety isn't an afterthought — it's the foundation every feature is built on. From day one, we've made decisions that prioritise your wellbeing over engagement metrics.
You're protected at every step
ID Verified
Your identity is confirmed
Location Privacy
Never stored in database
Trust Score: 85/100
High trust · Great reputation
🚨 Need help? Report or block instantly.
Nothing here exists for engagement metrics. Every feature was built to make real-world connections safer, more natural, and more meaningful.
Initial profiles show only age, pronouns, bio, and shared interests. Photos are a reward for mutual curiosity — not a hook for first impressions.
In-café chat requires both users to stay within 10 metres. This is our favourite feature — it makes digital interaction an extension of the physical space.
Three mutual pokes across café visits. Each poke deepens trust gradually — mirroring how real friendships actually develop over time and repeated encounters.
Real-time location held in memory, never written to disk. When you close the app, your position is gone. No trails. No history. No surveillance.
A community-driven trust score (0-100) reflects your history of positive interactions. High-trust users see more profiles. Low-trust users see fewer. It self-regulates.
Profiles ranked by Jaccard similarity — the overlap between your declared interests and theirs. The more you have in common, the higher they appear in your feed.
We're not trying to fix dating apps. We're building something entirely different.
| Feature | ☕ CafeConnects | Traditional Social Apps |
|---|---|---|
| First impression based on… | Shared interests & bio | Photos & age only |
| Connection requirement | Physically nearby in a café | Anywhere, anytime |
| Location data stored | ✕ Never | ✓ Always |
| Photo privacy | Hidden until mutual interest | Public to all |
| Designed for | Friendship & community | Dating / casual |
| Chat requires proximity | ✓ Yes (10m range) | ✕ No |
| ID verification | ✓ Mandatory | ✕ Optional |
| Connection builds over | Multiple real-world visits | Instant swipe |
| Engagement model | Organic real-world encounters | Dopamine-optimised feed |