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Hinge founder Justin McLeod Announce He raised $18 million in donations for his new dating company, exaggeration.
McLeod Step down Stepping down as CEO at Hinge just last year, Hinge owner Match Group — which also owns apps like Tinder and OkCupid — is helping fund his new company, along with FirstMark Capital and Pace Capital.
Although details about the company are limited at this point, Overtone describes itself as an “AI-powered audio and audio redirection service that provides highly curated intros.”
“Overtone is not a dating app,” McLeod wrote in a filing Blog post. “By that I mean it’s not a social platform with profiles that whittles people down to stats, quotes, and photos. There’s no arcane algorithmic feeds trained on millisecond pulses. And there’s no juggling of likes, matches, and chats between too many people at once.”
It may seem odd for the guy who created Hinge to disparage algorithmic feeds and swiping, but the dating industry in general is evolving with the understanding that users are dissatisfied with the status quo. A 2024 Forbes Health survey found that 78% of dating app users I felt burned. The survey participants, which numbered 1,000 people, reported that they spend about 51 minutes a day using dating apps, but this time investment did not often result in satisfactory relationships.
Most dating apps try to improve the quality of matchmaking through AI, offering AI-generated conversation starters or helping with profile creation. But many people feel frustrated by the idea to delegate Even more of this intimate process for computers. McLeod seems more interested in using AI to narrow down the right people, rather than outsourcing actual conversations and communications.
“We get to know each person deeply, recognize them in their voice, and hear their unique story,” McLeod wrote. “And we only make introductions that are worth making, grounded in relationship science and thoughtful thinking. We transparently explain why we think someone is a great match.”
Other new applications such as Ditto and Drop date They are betting on a similar approach, using artificial intelligence to pair users, instead of putting everyone in a group to swipe on each other, creating the illusion of endless options and a hotbed of ghosting.
Overtone will be available later this year, but only in certain locations. In addition to the fundraising, the company also announced that relationship expert Esther Perel has joined the board of directors alongside Match CEO Spencer Rascoff and leadership consultant Diana Chapman.
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