(Courtesy of Corona Crush) Even as the pandemic winds down, many of the positive changes it caused are here to stay. Case in point: Ian Mark built CoronaCrush, a remote shidduch event platform for a Facebook page he and his friends started early on in the pandemic, but after its popularity skyrocketed, he is committing to it full time.

In just over a year since its launch, CoronaCrush already has

11,000 singles in their database

scheduled over 30,000 dates

5,800 people say yes to a second date

8 confirmed engagements

5 weddings

10+ organizations partnered for their global Tu B’Av event

“I think for many communities, this will fundamentally change how they do shidduchim events,” Ian Mark says. “The magic of the platform is that it can be customized to meet the needs of every community.”

Chabad has already partnered with CoronaCrush to host their Met@Chabad upcoming Tu B’Av event.

Here’s how it works:

First you answer some questions about yourself and your preferences for a partner.

Then you are then matched with seven video-chat dates of seven minutes each.

After the event you indicate who you would like to see again.

What happens after a successful match, along with the initial questions and event entry requirements, can be customized per each community. “It’s all a matter of what works for your demographic,”’ Ian says. “Just like every community has their own customs for in-person dating, so too when making the leap to digital, there can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution.”

Chabad, for example, has a team of matchmakers handling mutually interested parties, while the original CoronaCrush makes introductions directly.

As for the future, Ian says he is committed to continuing CoronaCrush’s own events, as well as making the platform available for individual communities.

CoronaCrush will be hosting two events on Tu B’Av:

US and Canada event will be on July 26, 9 p.m. Eastern Time

Israel and Europe event will be on July 26, 9 p.m. Israel time

Chabad will be holding its Tu B’Av event in seven regions around the world. More details can be found at metatchabad.com/speeddating.

Ian Mark can be contacted at [email protected].

Sign up for the CoronaCrush Tu B’Av event at coronacrush.co/signup.