by Xochitl Campos
Daily Lobo
Imagine being able to meet potential suitors without going farther than the next table at a restaurant.
That's the concept behind UNM alumna Kirsten Muncy's speed-dating business, ABQMatch.com.
"I get a group of 10 men and 10 women together, and they talk to each other for five minutes each," she said. "During that time, they are trying to see if they want to go on a date."
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Participants are given a paper to rate their compatibility with each member of the opposite sex. Those answers are collected by Muncy, who matches the participants based on their answers.
Whisque Mesquite Bar and Grille and O'Niells Pub sponsor the events and host the speed-dating sessions.
ABQMatch.com costs $45 per person, and about 50 people have signed up since September.
Muncy graduated with a degree in entrepreneurial studies from the Anderson Schools of Management in December 2006.
"I decided on a whim, and within weeks of deciding, I had my own business permit and was designing my own Web site," she said.
Muncy said starting her own business was harder than she thought it would be.
"(Professors) teach you the motions of how to start a business, but you don't know until you delve right into it," she said. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
Muncy said a speed-dating business would be good for Albuquerque because the city doesn't have as many dating options as larger places.
"In Albuquerque, you are constantly in your car or off to work," she said. "You never get to meet anyone. We're just a city where you can't meet a lot of people."
Muncy said the appeal of her business lies in its novelty.
"It is so new, I think people would be up to try new things," she said. "It would give them the opportunity to meet people and not have to be so nervous."
But ABQMatch.com hasn't turned a profit, Muncy said.
"I've made some money, but all that money is going directly back into the company," she said.
However, Muncy is optimistic about her business' future.
"There's definitely a market for it," she said. "But my duty, basically, is spreading the word around the city, trying to get the word out using different methods."
Muncy said she was nervous about deciding how to use her degree after graduation.
"I had no idea what my next step was going to be, and I was wondering how I was going to get myself jump-started," she said.
Chris Guillen, a student at Anderson Schools of Management, said he's glad to see an alum in the business world.
"It is good to hear someone from the same school you're going to is doing well," he said. "I don't know how successful this dating service is, but that would be pretty cool."
The next ABQMatch.com event will be Nov. 10 at O'Niells Pub at 4310 Central Ave. S.E.
