Amberlei Oates didn’t set out to disrupt an industry—she set out to solve a problem she was living every day. As a single mother and active-duty Intelligence Officer in the U.S. military, Amberlei found herself confronting the same frustrations many modern daters experience: ghosting, endless texting, and zero in-person chemistry. But unlike most, she decided to do something about it.
“The system was broken but it’s what we’ve grown to know and accept—either meet a stranger online or give a stranger your phone number,” she says. “I was frustrated with the ghosting, catfish, and endless chats with guys that resulted in no meeting or no chemistry. Why was I wasting time ‘window shopping’ for dates, when I could tell instantly in a room full of others if the chemistry was there?”
That question would become the spark behind RadarQR, a hybrid dating app that began with a deceptively simple idea: using QR codes to bring dating back into the real world.
Amberlei didn’t come from a tech background. She didn’t have an investor network or startup pedigree. What she did have was vision, persistence, and a deep understanding of human behavior—sharpened through years of service in military intelligence. That experience gave her a unique lens through which to see the problems plaguing online dating and to design a solution built around safety, intentionality, and real-world chemistry.
“Recognizing the need for change, I created a hybrid dating app platform that initially focused on assigning QR codes to all profiles, allowing for safe and quick profile sharing in real life,” she explains. “It has evolved dramatically since inception to incorporate the ‘Hot Spots’ function where even more real-life connections are made.”
In fact, the app helped Amberlei find love herself. “One day while walking down a sidewalk, I saw this man whose smile made me pause,” she recalls. “Without a single word, I handed him a little card in passing which had my RadarQR profile QR code on it. He scanned, we matched, and now we are married.”
Her story is a testament to the app’s mission: to give people the right tools at the right time, so that they can trust their instincts and follow their “radar.”
Still, building a tech company from scratch wasn’t easy. “Because I didn’t come from a tech background, the biggest hurdle was learning my way through the process while finding the right business partner in Rich [LaMotte], then developing other key mentors who could fill in the professional gaps I had,” Amberlei says. “Surrounding myself with mentors and leaders who specialized in areas I didn’t was paramount in the process.”
From day one, Amberlei’s focus has been clear: solve the real-life challenges singles face—not just digitize them. Unlike first-generation dating apps designed to keep users swiping endlessly, RadarQR is built around real-world connection. The app’s unique features include QR-to-profile technology, verified location-based “Hot Spots,” and even an AI-powered assistant named RAD that helps users with everything from conversation starters to location-based suggestions.
“We patented methodologies that are specifically designed to promote IRL connection,” she says. “In contrast to the outdated methodology of sucking user subscription fees in exchange for an industry average 1% chance of making an in-person connection, we make every real-life encounter a matching opportunity.”
Amberlei has also prioritized user safety and privacy. RadarQR doesn’t link to social media and never tracks people once they leave a venue. “We implemented counter-intelligence methodologies to prevent stalking, harassment, and catfishing,” she explains.
The platform continues to evolve. A recent update added the “Sort My Preferences” feature after feedback from LGBTQ+ users at a Hot Spot event. “They raised a great point: how do I know who’s here for me?” Amberlei recalls. “Now users can filter who they see based on who they’re looking for.”
As the platform grows, so do its ambitions. While RadarQR launched in the dating space, its core technology has the potential to disrupt networking and community events, too. “Imagine business conferences, entertainment events, and college campuses using RadarQR as a platform for social connection,” Amberlei says. “A Slack for likeminded participants in the same location.”
Still, for all its tech, Amberlei insists the heart of RadarQR is deeply human. “Our platform is 100% built on the promotion of in-person connection. We just recognized that the world has shifted to device-driven communication, so we’re providing the hybrid platform that offers the comfort of messaging through the phone with the excitement of organic, in-person chemistry.”
For those hoping to build something similar, her advice is simple but powerful: “If you can dream it, it can be done. What we wanted simply did not exist, so we created it. Just be creative and have fun with your visions.”
And if anyone still doubts whether a QR code can lead to real love? Amberlei is living proof that it can.
