Do Valentine's Day better: How these 11 local startups can help

by Tessa McLean
February 9, 2015

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and you could easily settle for the same old flowers and romantic dinner. It's a winning combination, right? Right, but it may be time to mix things up a bit. Luckily, there are many Chicago startups here to save you from yourself. They've got everything from date ideas to dinner reservations to gift inspiration. 

 

For the food & drink:

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TableSAVVY

A romantic dinner may be all you need, but you should at least try to make a reservation somewhere special. TableSAVVY is a great app to save money (on the sly) and make a convenient reservation at a Chicago Magazine-approved spot. TableSAVVY connects users with unreserved tables at high-end restaurants like Sunda, the Bedford and Roka Akor. For $5, a diner can book the table and receive a 30% discount on their bill — automatically deducted, so no coupons needed.

 

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Home Chef

If you prefer to stay in this Valentine's Day and cook, Home Chef offers chef prepared recipes, fresh ingredients and instructions, all delivered to your door. Right now, Home Chef is even offering a special Surf+Turf+Dessert meal as a delicious 'Impress Your Date' option. Choose from steak, seafood, a side dish and a silky chocolate mousse with pomegranate seeds all for just $19.95/person

 

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Indulgery

This year Valentine's Day is on a Saturday, so your options really are endless. If you want to get out there and try something new, perhaps showing off your trivia skills or checking out a wine tasting, Indulgery's platform is multi-faceted, allowing users to search for specials, comment on experiences and flip through other interactive features. For example, a user can search using specific criteria like "happy hour + River North + wine." They also offer a custom newsfeed that allows a user to follow favorite establishments for updates and announcements. Indulgery members can also leave reviews, rate experiences and upload photos.

 

For the gift:

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Resultly

Are you someone who monitors products online like a hawk — just waiting for that pair of shoes to go on sale or for it’s host website to run a 25% off promotion? If you know your significant other has been eying a very nice — but expensive — new watch, Resutly can help. Think of the app as a personal shopper in your pocket. Resultly aggregates products from over 200,000 retailers and boasts over 55 million products. It also brings in top bloggers and fashion-thinkers, known as  “Influencers”, to help buyers get inspiration and discover products they'll like. In addition, Resulty has partner stores like Adidas, Ann Taylor and American Apparel - ensuring you get notified when your favorite retailer runs that sale.

 

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Trunk Club

Need a gift for him? Trunk Club will outfit your man with everything he needs, without having to drag him along to the store. Personal stylists help put together a sample wardrobe based on the your man's likes and dislikes and the clothes and accessories are delivered in a "trunk" right to his door. He can return anything he doesn't like. He'll quickly appreciate how nice it is not to own the same Jcrew shirt as every other one of his buddies.

 

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PrettyQuick

Need a gift for her? PrettyQuick will find a place for your leading lady to get pampered and beautiful, all at an affordable price. In an Uber-kind of way, all transactions are cashless and tip is factored in, allowing you to take care of everything before she even starts her service. The company offers gift cards too — perfect for the beauty in your life.
 
 
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Foxtrot

The local startup's on-demand delivery system has pre-selected items and packages for users to order. They also have a brick and mortar store in Lincoln Park where you can browse lots of locally made goodies like Koval, Chicago Candle Company, Intelligensia and Lillie’s Q. Another plus: they guarantee delivery within one-hour of tapping “Order” in the app. 

 

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Tripnary

Use Tripnary to find and book your loved one a truly out-of-this world trip. No ideas on where to send them? Browse Tripnary’s bucket list destinations for inspiration. Compare prices from their home city to dozens of destinations with just one click. 
 
 

For...after:

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Passionly

If you're looking for a little, er, excitement in your night, Passionly might be the app for you. It pairs advice alongside useful mobile-friendly tools inspired by marriage and sex experts. The company even claims that by using it just 4 hours per week, you'll increase the closeness in your relationship.

 
For the parents:
 

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Sittercity

Sittercity is the online solution to finding childcare, so you have no excuse not to celebrate this year. The company was founded 13-years ago on the belief that technology can make finding the right babysitter a safe and easy process. To make the right connection, Sittercity has set up serious screening processes both the sitters and parents undergo. After the background check, users set up profiles expressing their experience level, interests, capabilities, etc. and a match is made. 
 
 
Or, if you're not coupled up...
 
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SpaceWays introduces the "Ex-Box"

If you're spending this Valentine's Day trying to "conciously uncouple" (to borrow a term from Gwyneth Paltrow), SpaceWays may have your solution. SpaceWays has introduced the “Ex-Box,” convenient on-demand storage for the gifts, mementos and letters collected from ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. As part of the Ex-Box promotion, SpaceWays will drop off, pick up and store one large heavy-duty “Ex-Box” at no cost for three months., as well as provide you with a box of chocolates. After three months, customers can continue storing the box at SpaceWays’ secure storage facility for just $5.90 per month or schedule a convenient time to have it returned. Interested Chicagoans should enter the promo code EXBOXS860 at checkout by Feb. 28. 

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