Candle

What do they actually do

Candle is a mobile app for two people—typically couples or close friends—to keep in touch through tiny daily check‑ins that take 1–5 minutes. It offers short prompts, photo exchanges, micro‑games, and a private two‑person feed that builds a shared history over time. It’s live on iOS and Android and centers on a simple routine: answer a prompt, share a photo, or play a quick game together, then see each other’s responses later trycandle.app, App Store, Play Store.

Core features include daily swipeable questions with reveal mechanics, a private photo prompt stream, mini‑games and challenges (with leaderboards), and a “thumb kiss” synchronized tap for low‑effort check‑ins. Streaks, lock‑screen widgets, and lightweight journaling encourage continuity and make the habit easy to maintain App Store.

Candle uses a subscription (Candle Premium) rather than ads to fund operations and keep the experience private and lightweight App Store, Premium announcement. Public signals suggest meaningful traction for this niche: Google Play shows 100K+ installs with a ~4.5 rating, the App Store shows ~2.6K ratings at ~4.8, and the homepage claims “over 200,000 couples.” TechCrunch has reported several hundred thousand users and early revenue traction (~$1M ARR), noting the team’s focus on reliability and adding more interaction types Play Store, App Store, Homepage, TechCrunch).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Busy partners with full schedules: They have little time or energy for long check‑ins and need something that fits into brief windows; short prompts, widgets, and one‑ to five‑minute framing lower the barrier to reconnect.
• Long‑distance couples: They miss everyday moments and physical presence but can’t do long calls daily; private photo prompts and the low‑effort “thumb kiss” give small, lightweight signals of presence.
• New or early‑stage couples building connection habits: They often don’t know how to start deeper conversations and can repeat the same topics; curated daily questions, reveal mechanics, and micro‑games scaffold learning about each other.
• Parents or caregivers juggling family responsibilities: Schedules are fragmented and long dates/check‑ins get deprioritized; quick interactions, local date ideas, and streaks help maintain continuity when time is scarce.
• Close friends who want a private way to stay in touch: Group chats are noisy and 1:1 DMs fizzle; a private two‑person feed, short prompts, and mini‑games enable small, frequent contact without social clutter.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Invite people the founders know to install, pair with their partner, and use Candle for a week; do 1:1 onboarding/observations, gather bug reports, and offer free Premium for feedback and warm intros (trycandle.app).
• First 50: Seed relevant small communities (relationship subreddits, LDR Discords, parenting groups) and a few micro‑influencers; run a simple referral perk and iterate onboarding based on common drop‑offs (r/candleapp, App Store).
• First 100: Test low‑budget Meta ads targeting couples/LDR/parenting interests while launching an in‑app referral that rewards both sides; optimize App Store/Play Store pages and track CAC vs. 7‑day retention to decide what to scale (Play Store, TechCrunch).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Candle sits in the consumer couples/relationship apps category on iOS/Android. The theoretical market is any pair of smartphone users in a relationship or close friendship—hundreds of millions globally—with a practical near‑term focus on English‑speaking markets.

Bottom-up calculation:

As a conservative framing, assume 10 million pairs globally engage with couples‑focused apps annually; if Candle ultimately converts 5–10% of these pairs to paid at ~$40/year, that implies a paid revenue TAM of roughly $20–$40 million per year, with upside as the category grows or expands to close‑friend use cases.

Assumptions:

• Couples/close‑friend pairs who try a dedicated app annually ≈ 10M globally (across iOS/Android).
• Long‑run paid conversion for a lightweight, habit app in this category ≈ 5–10%.
• Blended ARPU for paid subscribers ≈ $40/year (subscription, ad‑free).

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Paired: Subscription couples app with daily questions, quizzes, and prompts designed to build connection—direct overlap with Candle’s daily ritual focus.
• Between: Long‑running private space for couples (chat, photo album, shared calendar); focuses on a persistent two‑person environment rather than micro‑prompts.
• Relish: Relationship coaching app offering personalized lessons and exercises; more programmatic and guidance‑oriented than Candle’s quick daily check‑ins.
• Lasting: Couples counseling and relationship health app with assessments and structured curricula; skews toward therapeutic content over lightweight daily habits.
• Gottman Card Decks: Well‑known set of conversation prompts from the Gottman Institute; overlaps on question prompts but lacks Candle’s two‑person feed and gamified streak mechanics.