DOWN is a location-based social networking and online dating application for users looking for casual relationships and hookups. Users can swipe up for more serious dating, swipe down for casual hookups, or left to pass, and continue to the next profile. Founded in as Bang with Friends , the app began as a Facebook web app for curious singles to find which of their Facebook friends were interested in "banging," or casual sex.
After working on HeardAboutYou, an app billed as Linkedin for lovers, Hodge looked for a way to simplify the online dating process for users who were looking for something casual. In just the first few weeks after launch in January , Bang with Friends picked up coverage first from the niche entertainment site, BroBible, and then went viral with stories in BuzzFeed , the Daily Mail , The Daily Beast , and even the Colbert Report.
For the first few months, the startup continued to spark discussion and attention from the press, keeping their identities anonymous. Bang With Friends reached 1 million users within three months of launch.
SXSW organizers tore the posters down, drawing more press coverage and fueling the controversy. Zynga claimed the trademark rights to the phrase "With Friends," threatening a lawsuit against Bang With Friends. Along with the rebrand, they updated the dating app to remove the limit on connecting with Facebook friends and expanded users' reach to friends-of-friends.
This allowed users to connect with strangers nearby for a date or "get down" for something casual. In , the company was sold by M17 Entertainment, reverting ownership of the company to Hodge and an original team member.
