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Taking the unpleasant surprises out of online romanceTaking the unpleasant surprises out of online romance

Singles looking for love online often find dishonesty instead. Online daters fudge their weight, height, age, employment history and even marital status. Men who promote themselves as law-abiding citizens forget to mention felony convictions and restraining orders. Women forget to mention that the photograph they posted is 10 years old.

Thunderbird Executive MBA graduate Christina Chow heard all the horror stories from friends and co-workers who used popular dating sites. “They talked about the problems they were facing,” she said. “They had no idea who they were meeting.”

Chow, a U.S. citizen born in Malaysia, saw a market opening and shared the idea in 2007 with longtime friend and co-worker Jeanne Pollock. The consulting partners had spent 10 years together as American Express executives in Phoenix, where they helped develop a company Web site protected by state-of-the-art information security technology.

The transition to building a safer, more transparent online dating service seemed natural to the women, who both started their careers in the 1980s as software engineers. So they spent the next year-and-a-half developing a business plan, arranging financing, conducting focus groups and creating a company identity.

Many friends and associates stepped forward along the way to help. “We were able to tap into a lot of talented people we know,” Chow said. “They truly believed in the business and asked if they could help.”

The collaboration paid off on Feb. 10 with the launch of Trusted Ties at www.TrustedTies.com. Unlike other dating sites, TrustedTies verifies the identity of its members and runs background checks. New subscribers also must visit professional photographers, who send current images directly to Trusted Ties.

“Members now know more about who they’re meeting online,” Pollack said from the Trusted Ties headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz. “People are telling us, ‘It’s about time.’”

Chow and Pollack enjoy hearing feedback from Trusted Ties members but don’t consider themselves matchmakers. Instead, they post advice columns and videos on the site from dating coaches, fitness trainers and stylists.

Chow, who is conversational in French and speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Bahasa Malaysia and Indonesia, said her Thunderbird education reinforced the need to identify a true problem to solve before moving forward with a new enterprise. She said she also appreciates the friends and contacts she made at Thunderbird.

“When I need help, I can tap into the Thunderbird network of people,” she said. “Those are good connections to have.”