Lock and Key Events

What Lock and Key Events does

Lock and Key Events (legal entity: lockandkeyevents.com, Inc.) is a US-based experiential dating company founded in 2002 by Darren Waldholz in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company produces and operates interactive in-person singles events under a federally trademarked format in which female attendees are given padlocks and male attendees receive keys; participants mingle and attempt to find a matching pair, using the icebreaker mechanic to facilitate conversation. The format was acquired from Cupid.com/PreDating in 2006, and the trademark was federally registered in the same year.

The company's product is the event itself, not a software platform; there is no described technology stack, app, or digital matching component beyond basic event promotion. Events are priced at $20-$35 per attendee and are operated through a distributed network of local hosts. Coverage spans 44+ cities across 38+ US states, with the largest geographic buildout occurring between 2006 and 2009 (expanding from approximately 21 to 60+ cities).

The business model is pay-per-event ticket revenue from individual adult consumers, with no recurring subscription, no enterprise contracts, and no disclosed ancillary monetization (e.g., advertising, sponsorship, merchandise). The company is private, founder-owned, and bootstrapped, with no external funding rounds disclosed. Strategic activity includes a 2008 partnership with Pre-Dating and ongoing local host recruitment to staff the multi-city footprint.

Name

Lock and Key Events

Legal name

lockandkeyevents.com, Inc.

Website

https://lockandkeyevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lock and Key Events operates in-person singles events in 44+ US cities using a padlock-and-key icebreaker format. The bootstrapped, founder-owned company (founded 2002) sells $20-$35 event tickets to individual adult consumers across 38+ states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales to singles events. Pricing varies by location and ranges from $20-35 per attendee. Discounts available for pre-registration vs. walk-up pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lock and Key Events organizes in-person interactive singles parties across 44+ U.S. cities. At each event, women receive padlocks and men receive keys to wear around their necks; participants mingle attempting to find matching locks and keys, with successful unlocks earning raffle tickets for prizes. The format operates as an icebreaker that eliminates awkwardness in approaching strangers and facilitates introductions between eligible singles.

Product overview

Lock and Key Events operates a single core product line—the Lock and Key Singles Party—featuring an interactive icebreaker event format where women receive padlocks and men receive keys to wear around their necks. Participants work the room attempting to match keys with locks; successful unlocks earn raffle tickets for prizes, after which participants receive new locks or keys to continue networking. The company runs these events in approximately 44-50+ cities across the United States. Additional offerings include speed dating events (through Pre-Dating partnership) and singles cruises, complementing the core party format.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lock and Key Singles Parties
• Speed Dating Events
• Singles Cruises

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple documented marriages and relationships from single events

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pre-Dating (National Speed Dating Service)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPre-Dating, a national speed dating service operating in 100+ cities, is listed as a national partner and sponsor. The companies share an operational connection as Lock and Key Events was originally acquired from Cupid.com/Pre-Dating, and both operate under similar business models for singles events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• The League: Selective dating app targeting ambitious professionals, directly overlapping with Lock and Key's core customer segment of busy professionals. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same demographic and intent category.
• Bumble: Major online dating platform whose user base (women-message-first design) overlaps with Lock and Key's primary 21-69 professional female demographic. Bumble has expanded into Bumble for Friends and IRL events, increasingly competing in the same space.
• Hinge: Online dating app marketed as 'designed to be deleted' that targets relationship-minded singles, overlapping with Lock and Key's promise of meaningful in-person introductions. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same end-customer market.
• eHarmony: Long-standing online dating platform focused on compatibility matching for serious relationships. Competes for the same 'beyond dating apps' customer who might be open to in-person singles events like Lock and Key.
• Match Group: Owner of Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid, representing the dominant online dating portfolio. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same singles' time and dollars, with vastly greater scale, technology, and matching infrastructure than Lock and Key Events.

Others

• Eventbrite: Large-scale event ticketing and discovery platform. While not a singles event operator, it functions as an enabling/distribution channel for event-based businesses like Lock and Key Events and could expand into curated singles event categories.
• Meetup: Platform for organizing in-person local groups and events, including singles and social categories. Adjacent to Lock and Key Events as a community-driven offline engagement channel for singles, though not a direct competitor in the curated singles events space.

Direct peers

• Tawkify: Curated matchmaking and singles event service that competes for the same in-person dating budget as Lock and Key Events. Tawkify emphasizes hand-selected matches and private events, occupying a similar singles-customer segment with a more concierge-driven model.
• Pre-Dating: National speed dating service operating in 100+ US cities that is an active partner and sponsor of Lock and Key Events. Both companies share operational models for in-person singles events and have direct founder/ownership linkages via Cupid.com/Predating, Inc.
• It's Just Lunch: In-person matchmaking and date-arranging service that targets busy professionals seeking offline introductions. Directly comparable to Lock and Key Events' 21-69 professional demographic and competes for the same in-person singles-meeting wallet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/predating
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lock-and-key-events-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lock and Key Events