For many couples, staying emotionally and physically connected isn’t about a lack of care, it’s about time, energy, and knowing where to start. That reality is what led Jennifer Gorton, a Certified Sex Therapist, to create Quickie, a relationship wellness app designed to support intimacy in a way that feels realistic and approachable.
Jennifer has spent nearly a decade working in sex and couples therapy, and over time, she noticed a pattern. “People that were coming to see me really wanted to cultivate more intimacy,” she shared. “But some of the support they needed wasn’t actually therapeutic, it was more like tools they could use themselves.”
Couples talked about the same barriers again and again: busy schedules, kids, exhaustion, “Life is really busy,” Jennifer said. “Finding date night feels daunting. We’re tired. We don’t prioritize ourselves.”
Quickie was created from that gap as a way to take the pressure off and make connection feel doable. “The idea of Quickie developed as a tool that’s on the go,” Jennifer explained. “Something that can travel with people and be with them in a really convenient way.” By offering prompts and activities, the app helps intimacy feel more fun and approachable.
With support from Innovate Marquette, Jennifer formed Quickie Tech, LLC, turning her idea into a growing relationship wellness platform, despite stepping far outside her comfort zone. “As a therapist, I know people really well,” she said. “I do not know technology. I don’t know anything about creating an app or marketing.” She credits Innovate Marquette with helping her navigate the process and learn skills she never expected to take on as a founder.
Over the past year, Quickie has continued to take shape through customer discovery, feedback, and prototyping. Jennifer partnered with AirDev to develop an initial app demo, which she shared with individuals and couples to see how it resonated. The response was encouraging. “People really liked the idea,” she said. “They liked the cheeky, irreverent approach. It made it fun.”
That feedback also helped guide what comes next. Users shared that while they loved the concept, they needed reminders to actually use it. “They wanted more nudges,” Jennifer explained. She’s now working with AirDev again on a second demo that incorporates gentle notifications to make engagement even easier.
For Jennifer, some of the most rewarding moments have come from seeing Quickie become more tangible. Early on, she worked with an Invent@NMU student who helped design the brand’s logo. “That was amazing,” she said. “It was something real. It felt like, okay, this is it. This is Quickie.”
Looking ahead, Jennifer is excited by the momentum Quickie has gained in a relatively short amount of time. She’s exploring future partnerships, and beginning to explore how AI could support more personalized experiences for users.