Our story · Since 2011
Before dua, there was a dream.
Our story began in 2011—with an idea to bring Albanians together.
Before the name dua.com, before the app, there was msiti.ch and msitni.com. Then came AlbanianFriends.com. Different names, different designs, and years of work—all connected by one ambition: helping Albanians find each other and build meaningful relationships.
2011msitni
.com 
2013AlbanianFriends
.com 
2019dua
.com
In Albanian, “msiti” means “the matchmaker”: the person who introduces two people with the hope of bringing them together for marriage. The name reflected our original idea: bringing a familiar Albanian tradition into the digital world.
2011
2011 · The first steps
A modern approach to an old tradition.
For generations, Albanians met through family, friends, and the people who brought them together.
The idea behind msitni.com was to bring that connection online.
On 16 October 2011, Valon Asani registered the domain. The first logo and website drafts followed, laying the foundations for what would eventually become dua.
It was still an early project. With Valon focused on building MIK Group, the idea had to wait. But it stayed with him.
The first logo and website drafts: the MSITNI logo and the Msiti.ch site.
2013
2013 · AlbanianFriends.com
A new name. The same purpose.
On 17 October 2013, the journey continued as AlbanianFriends.com.
The idea became more concrete: a platform for Albanians looking for serious relationships.
An early advertisement put it simply:
“Tung, Albanian Friends is a platform for serious relationships between Albanians.”
There was a live website, Facebook advertising, a 52-page business plan, and detailed plans for a mobile app.
The original app concept already included profiles, nearby discovery, mutual likes, messaging, and premium features. The ambition was taking shape, screen by screen.
Profile
Nearby
Like
Match
Chat
Premium
Kosovo · Athens
An idea worth fighting for
From Kosovo to an international stage.
Albanian Friends won first place in Kosovo’s Get in the Ring startup competition.
The journey also took Valon and Ilir to Athens, where they presented the vision of connecting Albanians.
These were early steps, but meaningful ones. An idea that had started with a domain and a few designs was being shared, challenged, and developed.
2019
2019 · The turning point
By May 2019, Valon knew the project needed his full commitment.
After years of developing it on and off, he spoke with his partners Eduard and Ilir about bringing Albanian Friends back. To move forward, he needed a technical partner who shared the vision.
On 7 June 2019, after nearly two years of attempts to arrange a meeting, Valon and Larklind finally sat down at a Starbucks at Zurich Airport. They talked for hours about what they could build together.
Afterwards, Valon called Ilir and Eduard. He believed he had found the right person to help make it happen. With their support and the backing of MIK, the project entered a new chapter.
20 June 2019
20 June 2019 · The name became dua.com
The vision found its name.
Less than two weeks after that meeting, the team acquired dua.com.
The journey that began with msitni.com and continued through AlbanianFriends.com now had the name we know today.
A new name for an ambition that had been growing since 2011.
Today
Years in the making
The name changed. The purpose stayed.
dua’s roots go back to 2011. The company and product came later, shaped by years of ideas, pauses, partnerships, and persistence.
This story belongs to the people who kept believing in it—and to everyone who has since made a connection through dua.
Because behind every profile is a person. And one connection can become a shared future.
From msitni.com to AlbanianFriends.com to dua.com.
Bringing people together since the first idea in 2011.
Start your story on dua