Dating apps have gotten a bad rap recently. With the swipe-through app Tinder as the primary example, dating apps have been charged with promoting "hookup culture" over long-term relationships, increasing divorces and anonymous sex, and even encouraging misogynistic attitudes. Last month's Vanity Fair even called the phenomenon "the dawn of the dating apocalypse."

But what if a dating app had an approach that incorporated more transparency, more trust, and none of the swipe-through, throwaway hookup attitude, built into its core?

Alberto Ramirez believes he's found the key in a modern revival of a vintage concept: the video dating profile. He built it for the mobile age, and it's called Playfan.

The (Video) Camera Doesn't Lie

"Basically we created this tool, the video profile, to avoid the fake profiles" you often find in photo-based dating apps, said Ramirez in an interview with Latin Post. "It allows people, especially women, to be more safe and more secure in the process."

The problem with standard profile system you'd find on Tinder and similar apps, according to Ramirez, is that even real profiles can be misleading. "Profile photos don't say much about you, even if it is you," he said. "People start to speak with someone and they don't even know if they're real or not."

"With the video profile," he added, "you just describe yourself as you are, you show yourself as you are."

It's faster and easier too. "You don't have to write up any long bios, or descriptions, or put in all that information about yourself," said Ramirez. You just record 15 seconds of anything you want to say, and the added dimensionality of the video does the rest. As they say, "the camera doesn't lie."

Once you have a profile, Playfan -- known in the Google Play and iTunes app stores as "Playfan (vProfile)" -- works similarly to other dating apps. You can search, browse and discover profiles based on characteristics and location. If you find a match, the app also includes private chat, which also incorporates live video chat.

Oppous Origins: To the U.S. and Back Again

Playfan is the production of Oppous, an Internet software development studio founded by Ramirez five years ago. "It was the first Internet product development company in Venezuela," said Ramirez, who was born and raised there, but didn't stay long after primary school.

"I was born in Venezuela but I've lived for about eight years in the United States," said Ramirez, who moved to Houston to study computer engineering, but soon found himself in New York City starting up his first software project and business.

"That was back in 2008," said Ramirez. "I was like 20 years old and I created a website called RentalsandSales.com, selling and renting properties online."

But 2008 was not a good time for businesses, especially first-year startups.

"The whole economy in the U.S. was really tough, so that's when I went back to Venezuela and started Oppous." With his first-ever Venezuelan Internet software firm, Ramirez got into the social media market with a site and mobile platform called "Life + Work."

"We were the first ones to make a social network that allows you to create two different profiles, one for your social life and one for work," said Ramirez.

"So we separated it in two profiles on the same network, keeping that balance between life and work," he added, "instead of these other social networks that combine everything, your job, work contacts and parties all together."

Ramirez's Linked In/Facebook mashup didn't take off, but later Facebook developed a similar idea with its "Facebook for Work" feature.

More recently, to Ramirez's frustration, Facebook has also taken the idea of with adding videos to profiles, introducing the feature this month.

"Facebook can do whatever they want, as they always do -- copying our idea," he said. "But we don't care too much. Let me tell you, we've been developing this in our lab for three years, and we know for sure that Playfan has a unique tool, and a unique way to use it."

The Problems and Promise in Bringing Playfan to the U.S.

Although not at Facebook-level numbers, of course, Playfan has done well for itself across Latin American markets since launching last year. "For the last two months, we've grown 1000 percent, and we now have more than 5 million users," said Ramirez. "And that was the beta version," he added. 

But getting there hasn't been easy, stressed Ramirez, especially with Oppous being based in Venezuela. "I always say, it's miracle we're here now," he said. "We really worked hard for this." 

Venezuela is a hard place for startups, especially in the high-tech market. Explaining the cultural challenges of raising capital, finding skilled employees, and simply finding users in a country whose technology infrastructure and consumer base is still in its developing phase, Ramirez echoed the sentiments of fellow Venezuelan entrepreneur and Open English founder Andres Moreno, who couldn't find funding for his startup until he moved to Silicon Valley.

"In Venezuela, you don't get support for raising capital. You don't even get support in human resources," he said. "It's really tough to get people with knowledge in development of mobile applications -- the talent is all leaving the country. It's really, really hard right now."

Even the basics needed for app development are scarce, said Ramirez. "In Venezuela, even to buy an iPhone, it's too expensive," for most people. "So developers just cannot develop apps for the iPhone."

But now with Playfan proving its potential throughout Latin America, Oppous is coming back to New York, looking for investors, and planning a push for Playfan into Europe and the U.S.

And with the new push beyond Latin America, Playfan will soon introduce a new, unique feature that Ramirez exclusively divulged to Latin Post. Still under development, the new feature will go beyond matchmaking and introductions, and actually create a first date for its users.

"Think of 'The Bachelor', the reality show," said Ramirez. "It's like that. Soon, Playfan will arrange a date with you and your match, with an Uber taxi, for example, or dinner reservations, or booking a hotel."

"You can get your date whatever you want. If you accept that gift from your date, you'll get picked up and the whole thing is planned, and you'll know about the plans before you decide to accept," he explained. Talk about transparency!

That's coming in Playfan's 6th update, which is one update away from the current version.

Until then, Ramirez says he'll keep fighting for Playfan in the U.S., even if the mobile dating culture is mostly interested in hooking up, and despite how hard it is for a Latin American import to get attention here.

Ramirez presses forward with his entrepreneurial mantra: "It doesn't matter what people tell you, it doesn't matter if you don't have enough money, and it doesn't matter how many years you have to go through it," said Ramirez. "Just keep working, because it's your idea, and it's the best."