

My name is Ryan, socially known as MR.KOA. What started out as an idea to improve dating intentionality in my own life, has evolved into a dating/conversational tool used by singles and couples around the world.
I’ve always been a very direct person that truly despises small-talk which in turn would result in me asking essentially all the questions in THE FIRST DATE GAME to potential partners. I would notice some responses would be that the questions are “too deep” for such an early interaction or “too personal” to disclose at the current stage – all that showed me was that those particular individuals were not what I was looking for. I believe when getting to know someone new, there is no limit or timeline on when you should ask certain questions that are important to you. None of us have time to waste, and the whole point of dating is to sift through the people that are not for you in order to make space for someone that is.
The idea for THE FIRST DATE GAME was first tested on the app Clubhouse during COVID lockdowns. I noticed there were so many rooms that were just promoting toxic conversation and no real substance – I believed that was my opportunity to create the healthy space on the app that I myself was looking for, as well as many other users.
I created a weekly room on the app called LOVE&WORK and challenged myself to consistently run it every Wednesday for as long as I could. I came up with a few new questions each week and it quickly grew into a popular safe space for people to discuss their perspectives and share openly about all things relationships and career.
After 17 consecutive weeks of running the LOVE&WORK room, I was no longer able to host the room due to my working schedule and COVID restrictions being lifted. I also was planning my move from my hometown Toronto to Los Angeles and that became my new focus. While going through my boxes in Los Angeles, I came across the notebook of questions from LOVE&WORK and a new inspiration was born – I wanted everyone in the world to benefit from what I created at a small scale because I believed it really was helping people find themselves as well as others. Shortly after finding my notebook, I shifted all my focus into creating what is now known as THE FIRST DATE GAME.