Justin McLeod, former CEO of Hinge, has raised $18 million to start Overtone, a new dating service that uses AI to provide curated introductions. The company, which does not operate as a traditional dating app, aims to move away from profiles and algorithmic feeds. McLeod emphasized that Overtone is not a social platform with profiles that reduce people to stats, quotes, and photos. 'Overtone is not a dating app,' McLeod wrote in a blog post. 'By that I mean it’s not a social platform with profiles that reduce people to stats, quotes and photos. There are no opaque, algorithmic feeds trained on split-second impulses. And there’s no juggling likes, matches and chats across many people at once.'
Overtone describes itself as 'a voice- and audio-forward service, enabled by AI, that provides highly curated introductions.' The company is focusing on using AI to narrow down potential matches rather than outsourcing the entire conversation process. McLeod explained that Overtone aims to 'get to know each person deeply, learning about them in their own voice, hearing their own unique story.' The service will transparently explain why it believes someone is a great match, grounded in relationship science and thoughtful reflection. The company plans to launch later this year, initially in certain locations.
A 2024 Forbes Health survey found that 78% of dating app users felt burnt out, with many spending about 51 minutes per day on such apps without often finding fulfilling connections. While most dating apps are trying to improve matchmaking through AI, many users remain frustrated with the idea of delegating more of the dating process to computers. Overtone joins other new apps like Ditto and Date Drop, which use AI to pair users instead of putting everyone in a pool to swipe on one another, creating the illusion of endless choice and a hotbed for ghosting.
Source: techcrunch
