32-year-old Samantha DeFazio from Los Angeles is a single mum of an eight-year-old who charges men up to £420 for a date. Business reached stratospheric heights when she met an entrepreneur for dinner in July 2014. As the evening wore on, she mentioned a nice app she had created and so impressed was her date he invested $2million in it.
It all began in November 2014, she was a single mum trying to get by, saddled with bad debts, trying to earn more and give her son a better life so she turned to dating site Whatsyourprice.com where attractive women can charge men for dates. It fetched her some more money but she was also interested in the prospect of meeting experienced businessmen who could invest in her app, Joiride, a luxury taxi service driven by attractive women .
Most of her dates paid her between $100 and $250 - but one 63-year-old writer coughed up $600 for an evening in her company. Miss DeFazio admits most women will take a dim view of being paid for dates but she believes time is money and she should be compensated for her time.
She said: "I don't view myself as an escort. I view myself as a single mother. It makes sense for me to get paid to go on a date because I have to pay for a babysitter, I have to pay for parking and I have to pay for gas.
"Dating is an expense in 2016. You don't want to spend all that money and you end up across from a guy you can't stand and you've wasted your time and your money.
"I feel sites like this are great because I can cover my expenses and put a bit of cash in my pocket."
She met different men and pitched her business idea over dinner with varying results, she admits their business acumen helped her fine-tune her idea even if the weren't looking to invest.
"I got the app design off of someone I met through the website, and learnt a lot about tax law from someone else" she said.
"One guy liked the idea so much he wanted to be involved.
"We decided not to date and be professional business partners instead. Last month he gave me the official OK for the two million dollar investment."
She has gotten not only money from her dates but lavish gifts like a Michael Kors watch, purse, lingerie, clothes and make-up.
Now thanks to her burgeoning new business, she has splashed out on a brand new Fiat.
While Samantha has been on twenty dates, not a single one turned into a romance.
And she has never gotten intimate with her potential partners.
She added: "I'm not in a relationship right now but that doesn't mean I've given up hope.
"I'm still trying and I'm going to keep using the website because it's a great way to meet people."
The investor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "When I met Samantha on our first date I knew I was in for a wild ride.
"I have never been more excited to start a business venture with someone who is so passionate about making their vision a reality.
More than 250 African migrants were arrested in the hours of Friday, March 18 in Tajoura suburb, Tripoli in Libya, as they were about to set sail to EU. Six African migrants also drowned same day when the boat they were traveling on capsized. Pictured is the rescue team recovering bodies of the drowned victims...
