Revolutionizing Romance: Natalie Frangi & Dani Fankhauser on Religion, Sex, and the Secret to Finding Love in Cyberspac‪e‬

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Episode Description

Valentine’s Day. For couples, it’s an event defined by romantic tropes of chocolates, sunsets, and candle-lit dinners. For singles, however, it’s another reminder that those constant “swipe- lefts and -rights” have been in vain. But according to today’s featured founder, Dani Fankhauser, finding romance shouldn’t have to be so agonizing.

This episode will have two stories linked by the theme of dating. One story will follow Dani Fankhauser, someone who initially let religion lead her dating life, but after a years-long exploration of self, she recognized the areas where modern dating falls short and founded XO, a revolutionary dating app that gamifies user-matching. As we forge ahead into Dani’s story, we’ll explore the parallels between her journey to XO, and Natalie’s to NUiT. Natalie Frangi, a woman who fought her way from Lebanon back to Texas to pursue a career in Chemistry, has faced challenges in her life, and was even once held up at gunpoint. However, all of this served to strengthen her resolve. A tumultuous career would eventually lead her to found NUiT with the mission of finding intimate connections across the stars. So don’t just sit and wait! Go ahead and press play.

Show Notes

Natalie Frangi:

War-Torn Childhood: Natalie describes growing up amidst Lebanon’s Civil War.
Held at Gunpoint: Natalie explains her experience being robbed at gunpoint while working at a pharmacy.
Joy of Learning: Growing up, Natalie’s environment fostered her love for science. Once she got to university, how did moving to Houston give her the freedom she lacked in Lebanon?
Predatory Work Environment: Natalie describes how her superiors at her research position essentially ended her science career when she spoke out against their harassment.
ReadThisNext: Dani discusses the development of her first start-up, ReadThisNext, and how it fared post-launch.
Shameless: Harking back to her childhood love of writing, Dani talks about publishing her first book, Shameless, which discusses the intersection between faith and sex.
XO: Future of Dating: Dani dives deep into the origins of her dating app, XO, and how it revolutionizes the online-dating experience.

Dani Fankhauser:

Straight Outta OC: Dani describes her experience growing up in Orange County, CA, from her conservative upbringing to early passion for storytelling.
Out of Africa: How did a college trip to Africa impact Dani’s view of her middle-class lifestyle and her religious values?
Ok, Cupid: Dani describes her earlier views on dating.
Finding Ground: After grad school, which jobs did Dani become involved in?
ReadThisNext: Dani discusses the development of her first start-up, ReadThisNext, and how it fared post-launch.
Shameless: Harking back to her childhood love of writing, Dani talks about publishing her first book, Shameless, which discusses the intersectionality between faith and sex.
XO: Future of Dating: Dani dives deep into the origins of her dating app, XO, and how it revolutionizes the online-dating experience.