Johannesburg - Many seeking love online are familiar with a ‘swipe left’ or a ‘swipe right’ on an app like Tinder – but a US start-up is hoping to apply the same principle finding adopted children.
'Adoptly' is seeking to be an app-based platform that brings families together the way Tinder matches prospective couples.
“Once you've created a parenting profile, simply set your search criteria and Adoptly will instantly filter through our database, bringing the broadest range of adoptable kids straight to your fingertips,” the company says on its website.
Adoptly is expected to work in the same way as dating app Tinder in which two users are matched if they anonymously swipe ‘Like’ on each other’s images.
“Just swipe right if you’re interested, or left to keep looking. And if a kid, through their agency or foster care, likes you back it’s a match… Start a chat to make sure it’s the right fit,” Adoptly said.
READ: Tinder CEO quits after just five months
Adoptly makes searching on the app free but users have to pay all required state and federal fees when applicable, including an initial background check.
Adoptly said that all prospective parents are subject to government-mandated background checks and users would be guided through this process when signing up.
But the project has sparked controversy and crowd-funding website Kickstarter suspended Adoptly after it had managed to raise $4 000 dollars of it’s targeted $100 000. Adoptly also received 16 backers on Kickstarter.
While the Kickstarter project remains closed, the Adoptly website remains online.
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