Project 143 is an award-winning, matchmaking agency for progressive, elite Asian professionals in the UK
They bring together expert advice and eligible singles to create authentic and meaningful dating experiences. Project 143 have a unique standing in the dating industry in that they are the first modern matchmaking agency aimed at Asian professionals. But more than that they mean what we say with our no algorithms, no games hashtag; their service is personalised and tailored to our clients’ needs.
I spoke to Frances B Shillito from Project 143, client manager and matchmaker for the rich and famous for more information…
Tell me a little more about Project 143, how you’ve revolutionised dating for British Asians, and how the service you provide is unique?
Here at Project 143, the motto of the agency is ‘no algorithms, no games’ which I feel beautifully sums up the spirit and existence of us at the agency. We provide a fantastic bespoke service for like-minded singles from a professional background to meet and mingle. Furthermore, we actively vet all our members, creating a pool of very eligible singles, looking for long-term relationships, which completely sets us apart from any other agency, specifically for the Asian market in the UK.
I’m intrigued, what does Project 143 stand for, and when was it founded?
Lovely question! 143 is the number of letters in the phrase ‘I Love You’ and it is our project to make people fall in love. The agency itself was founded in 2016 by Aneeka Patel, where the Project 143 mission began.
It’s fantastic that you have a personal stylist, photographer, dating coaches and hair and make-up artist as part of your team, have you found this helps members chances of matchmaking?
Absolutely. We find it to be such a great service for our members to take advantage of during their dating journey. All these factors – how we dress ourselves, how we present ourselves and how we speak to ourselves and others, all translate into our love lives. Understanding how important attention to detail is and having professional guidance on how to reach our full potential, really allows us to present our best self to our future partner. You don’t receive these kind of services from dating apps and websites, so we really do see our members benefiting from having such an elite team of professionals on board their journey.
Your matchmakers and coaches have an incredible amount of experience, what would be the best piece of advice they could give to someone looking for love?
Ah we all have such a wealth of experience! But for me, one of the best pieces of advice I could give is that your relationship with yourself, sets the tone for every other relationship you have. When you truly understand and respect yourself and know exactly what you deserve from a partner, you won’t be afraid to set boundaries in a relationship. This attitude als enables you to open yourself up to the person who is truly right for you.
Membership for this premium service starts at £2600 (*price on website in July 2021), which is low for an elite matchmaking service – but you can’t put a price on love, right? To quantify – how many successful couples have Project 143 produced?
Correct! You can’t put a price on love. Our prices reflect the bespoke service we offer. We don’t calculate a success rate as the outcome of matchmaking is down to the individuals. We usually rate our success rate on the number of first dates we are able to set up and we can safely that we get a match 90% of the time – so our matches really do lead to real dates.
Will Project 143 be running any events going forward, or will it be more bespoke matchmaking?
Both! We are looking forward to bringing back in-person events as we move out of lockdown, so stay tuned for announcements on those. There will also of course be much more bespoke matchmaking moving forward. We are currently taking on new clients and are always on the hunt for ambitious, professional singles who are looking for love.
What would you say the biggest challenge for dating in 2021 is?
The biggest challenge is with social anxiety due to Covid and a year of isolation. People are still very wary of life after lockdown and how to interact safely again. But on the flipside, people are also very keen to meet new people again and form human connection. So I truly believe once we get going with life and see a sense or normality return, we’ll see a really exciting boom in the dating world.
What trends have you seen in dating recently?
I would say the most noticeable trend would be how covid has really given people the time to reflect on exactly what they are looking for in a relationship. We’ve all had a lot of time to think, either with or without a partner, and that has enabled individuals to figure out exactly what it is that makes them happy and what type of relationship they set out to look for when it comes to dating. Another big trend would be on the decrease in the use of dating apps and online dating for finding serious relationships- they are becoming more and more unpopular by the day as they gain a reputation for hook-ups. Because of this, we are seeing that matchmaking services are seen as a great alternative, where you know you are in the safe hands of a professional matchmaker and have a better opportunity to meet genuine people interested in long term and meaningful relationships.
Check out Project 143 here
