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Dubai dating is a different planet. In this episode, Matt sits down with Christiana Maxion, a high-net-worth matchmaker who works with wealthy men looking for a serious partner, and charges $65,000 to $350,000 to do it. 

They get into the brutal reality of “transactional” dating, where people say they want respect, while negotiating the relationship like a deal. Christiana explains why every relationship is transactional (money, emotions, sex, status, pick your currency), and why the real difference is the standard you hold and the environment you keep putting yourself in. 

Then it turns into pure business: how her offline matchmaking agency works (vetting, background checks, concierge dates, feedback loops), what “success” actually means, and how she’s scaling it with MAX, a “matchmaking app” built to stop people wasting their lives in DMs and get them to the first date faster. 

You’ll hear Matt & Christiana talk about:

• Why Dubai dating feels pay-to-play, and how to avoid ending up in the same loop. 
• The real reason men pay $65k–$350k for matchmaking (hint: it’s not romance, it’s time). 
• What her process actually looks like: vetting, alignment, concierge dates, and feedback. 
• “Delusional” requirements (and the fastest way to ruin your dating life). 
• How she built MAX: subscriptions, verification, compatibility matching, and auto-booked first dates. 
• The business model behind a matchmaking agency (and why referrals are the real growth engine). 
• Why she’s building separate matchmaking “portals” (expats, India, Muslim marriages) and expanding across the GCC. 

Timestamps:
0:00 – Dubai dating is “transactional” (and why) 
6:29 – “Every relationship is transactional” (standards vs expectations) 
7:38 – How she started “Dating in Dubai” and got fired for it 
9:26 – “I’m going to solve dating in Dubai” → launching matchmaking 
10:13 – Why she only represents men + the 40,000-women database 
11:03 – The pricing: $65k–$350k + what “success” means 
13:38 – The “delusional age range” problem (and why it fails) 
19:33 – MAX: paid subscriptions + passport/LinkedIn verification 
20:37 – Why swiping broke dating + how MAX gets you to a real date 
27:35 – App growth: UAE applications, active users, revenue 
30:09 – A real success story (and a brutal horror story) 
35:52 – What she’s building next (GCC expansion + new portals) 
37:10 – Where to find Christiana + MAX 

Follow Christiana Maxion
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christiana.maxion.matchmaker/
Website: https://christianamaxion.com
App: Maxion (available on the App Store)

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