Grouper, a Web app originally envisioned as a three-on-three dating service, is finally making it to your phone.

Here’s how the service works — you sign up for it and pick a specific date and time. Then you pick two “wingmen,” pay a fee of $20 per person for the date, and the app automatically sets you up with three members of the opposite sex.

You can select some preferences — like whether you like more dive bars or clubs — but most of the matching is done behind the scenes. Grouper pays for the first round of drinks as part of the fee for setting up the “date.”

Eventually you close your phone so you can actually enjoy the company of the other people. But throughout the “date,” Grouper will keep track of how much fun you’re having during it, and the concierge (a persona named Challen) will find ways to ensure that the Grouper improves.

While the original concept works pretty well as a “date,” Grouper is supposed to go beyond that. “Something I’ve been saying from day one: we’re not just about dating,” co-founder Michael Waxman said. “We’re about getting each other offline.”

We caught up with Waxman to find out more. Here’s an edited transcript of the interview. Read More »