IN THE MIDDLE
ISSUE 01 · LAUNCH
A better way
to meet in the middle.
Middie is a dating app for the people who have been made to feel invisible by the game of endless swiping.
BY MIKE ROSS
· 4 MIN READ · JULY 2026
JOIN THE WAITLIST
01 / WHY WE’RE HERE
Dating has become a game
with very few winners.
What percentage of men in America of typical marrying age (25-45), do you think are over six feet tall, make six-figures per year, and are not considered obese based on BMI?
25%?
10%?
No, it's closer to 1%.
Given this data, it's not hard to see how a small percentage of men have come to dominate the swipe app game. If you're not in the 90th percentile or above, you have a very small statistical shot.
But, think about how absurd this is…
The Metacritic score of the Avengers movies (which have grossed over $7.5 Billion)? 70 out of 100.
The average Yelp rating of the highest earning independent U.S. restaurants (e.g. MILA and Joe's Stone Crab)? 4.1 out of 5
The total career earnings of excellent NBA player C.J. McCollum (who has never made an All-Star team)? $280 Million
You get the point. This dynamic - where users only expect near perfection - exists in virtually no other facet of American life. Being really good at something is enough. In fact, it can be amazing.
It's not healthy for any marketplace to operate the way swipe apps do. It's terrible for men and for WOMEN. Why?
It's a basic scarcity issue. One man can only partner with one woman. It's 1:1 and not 1:many. If 100% of the women are chasing after 10% of the men, that means 90% of the women will be left with NOTHING. Yes, even the most attractive and eligible women get zero.
At Middie, we're not trying to lower standards. We're trying to create better outcomes.
WHY DID I CREATE MIDDIE?
Wow, I can't tell you how many guys I know that can't even get a single match on a swipe app. I'm talking about top echelon guys. It started to bother me, so I began to tinker.
I'm a big believer in finding elegance in simplicity. Middie is going to be no different. No scrolling. No chat boxes. Real matchmaking. Real dates.
We'll roll out region by region and continue to innovate as we go.
If you're interested in helping out, give me a shout!
Mike Ross @mikeross305
P.S. Yes, the rumors are true. If you're a 10/10 swipe king, you won't be allowed to use the app. The rest of us Middies deserve to find love too, bro!
02 / WHAT’S NEXT
Middie is being built in public, with a launch designed around people—not metrics. This is the first chapter.
JOIN THE WAITLIST