"Merge" Social Networking MVP Mobile App

We are building an MVP mobile app called “Merge” focused on helping post-grad friend groups meet and connect with other friend groups in their city.

Target audience:

Ages 22–28
Young professionals/post-grad users
People looking to expand their social circle after college
Initial launch markets: Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit

We are looking for an experienced mobile app developer (or small team) to build an MVP for iOS and Android.

Core Features:

User sign up/login
Create a friend group profile
group name
bios/interests
city
age range
group photos
Browse/discover other friend groups nearby
Send “merge” requests between groups
Mutual match system
Group messaging/chat after matching
Push notifications
Basic moderation/report/block functionality
Admin dashboard/backend access

Preferred Tech Stack:

Flutter or React Native
Firebase backend preferred
Clean modern UI similar to modern social networking apps

Important:

This is an MVP, not a full-scale app yet
We want scalable architecture so additional features can be added later
We will need assistance with App Store and Google Play deployment
Please include timeline, estimated cost, and examples of similar social/mobile apps you’ve built

Nice-to-have future features (not required for MVP):

Events
Location/map integration
Group verification
Premium subscriptions
AI matching

Please provide:

Estimated total cost
Estimated timeline
Recommended tech stack
Examples of previous work
Whether ongoing maintenance/support is available after launch