Runo to Launch Trust-Focused Dating Platform for Widows and Single Parents

Runo, a dating and relationship platform designed for widows, widowers, divorcees and single parents, is scheduled to launch on October 9, beginning in Lagos.

The platform was founded by Tega Ogaga, a corporate finance analyst who said he began developing the service after seeing online comments directed at a single mother of three who had expressed interest in finding a partner.

“What I saw there, some of them were just horrible,” Ogaga said, recalling the comments. One commenter asked, “Why should I become their father? Why did their father run?”

A platform built around caution and trust

Runo is intended for adults between 28 and 65 who are seeking relationships after major changes in their personal lives. Ogaga described the target users as people looking for “an opportunity to start again” and said they approach dating intentionally.

Unlike services built around rapid interactions, Runo is designed to place greater emphasis on mutual interest, privacy and safety. Users will not be able to message another member unless both people have liked each other’s profiles.

The platform will also allow anonymous browsing, including the option to view profiles without displaying photographs. Members can choose to reveal their pictures later to a mutual match. Users may submit government-issued identification to receive a verification badge, while an account-reporting system is intended to help members flag suspicious profiles.

Profiles can include a user’s age, marital history, occupation, religion, family structure and information about their children.

Responding to concerns over online dating

Mercy, a 33-year-old mother living in Lagos, said life had been difficult since her husband died about two years ago, leaving her to raise their two young children.

“It can be very lonely,” she said. Mercy, who had used Tinder before her marriage, said she no longer viewed conventional dating platforms as suitable for finding a serious partner. She also expressed concern about unsafe encounters and predatory behaviour in online spaces.

“A lot of people are looking for good partners and friends, but they are scared of meeting the wrong people,” she said.

Social stigma is also a concern for people seeking relationships after widowhood, divorce or single parenthood. A 2024 study of 24 young unmarried mothers and 10 community informants in Ife-East, south-western Nigeria, found that social stigma affected how young unmarried mothers navigated relationships and dating, according to researchers Ayomide Oluseye, Philippa Waterhouse and Lesley Hoggart.

A separate 2017 study covering Lagos and Abuja reported that divorced women faced stronger social condemnation and greater barriers to remarriage than divorced men.

Ogaga said Runo plans to address cultural taboos through public education, open dialogue and storytelling. He acknowledged that some communities in Nigeria oppose widow remarriage.

Growth plans and pricing

Runo is pursuing grassroots recruitment through churches, imams, grief counsellors, divorce lawyers, community support groups and WhatsApp groups. Ogaga said the platform’s waitlist recorded more than 200 sign-ups within 10 days without paid advertising.

“We want to get these people’s trust first before we start doing a massive social media campaign,” he said, adding that a sudden influx of users could be difficult to control.

The service will use a freemium model, with free basic access alongside a Premium subscription priced at ₦7,500 per month and a VIP tier costing ₦75,000 annually. Runo also plans to use a digital currency called RUNC for advanced features, including in-app audio and video calls and virtual gifts.

Ogaga said he spent nine months preparing the venture for market—six months establishing its institutional framework and three months developing the software. The platform’s first-year target is 50,000 users in Nigeria, while its three-year model projects 250,000 users and a 4% paid-subscriber conversion rate.

After building a user base in Nigeria, Runo intends to establish regional hubs in Nairobi, Johannesburg and Kigali. Ogaga has not yet approached investors, saying he wants to demonstrate traction and generate operational revenue before seeking senior investment.