WALL STREET JOURNAL – New AI dating apps are offering alternatives to swiping. Amata, a chatbot-based matchmaking app, interviews users and charges about $20 to arrange a date, while Known, an AI matchmaking service supported by human matchmakers, recommends compatible partners. Volar, a now-closed AI dating app, previously tested virtual versions of users that went on simulated dates for them. Established platforms are also experimenting with AI: Grindr is developing its gAI assistant, Bumble is testing its Bee matchmaker, and Tinder and Hinge are introducing tools that help users improve profiles and start conversations.
LINKEDIN – Tinder is partnering with We Met IRL, an events company founded in 2022 that organizes in-person gatherings for singles in New York City, Washington, DC, and other locations. The companies held their first joint event this week as Tinder continues to expand its focus on offline dating experiences.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Matchbox, a dating startup, has partnered with popular social media account Meet Cutes NYC and photobooth vendor Faceplace to launch the Missed Connections Booth in Manhattan. Visitors answer 26 compatibility questions, pay $10, and receive a photo strip showing themselves alongside a mystery match, identified only by a first name and photos. The booth has matched 3,500 people since opening in mid-July and will remain in New York through August, with expansion to other cities under consideration.
CNN – London singles are meeting through activity-based events rather than traditional speed dating. Chicken Rush organizes team races to a secret pub and has built a 3,000-person waiting list. Date Nites runs salsa evenings for singles, with its latest 80-person event selling out. Dinner for One Hundred hosts communal pizza dinners where guests rotate between tables, while Tinder now lists local activities such as trivia nights and ceramics classes through its Events section.
PARSHIP – According to a Parship study, most singles want a financially independent, debt-free partner, with women placing greater importance on financial stability than men. Similar spending habits matter more than earning a similar income. However, only around half disclosed their salary in their last relationship, and one-quarter shared no financial information at all.
WATSON – Tinder is expanding its Events feature to Zurich and Geneva following a 60-event pilot in Los Angeles. Users can discover offline activities, including karaoke, board games, quizzes and painting workshops, directly in the app. Independent event organizers handle the events and ticket sales, while attendees receive a profile badge to help them reconnect afterward. Tinder Events is now available in ten cities and is expected to reach 26 by the end of September.
NEWS ANYWAY – Business Insider reviewed pitch decks from 18 dating, social networking, and AI startups that raised funding. Gigi raised $8M after pivoting from AI avatars to dating and then professional networking, while Spill opened a crowdfunding round to its users through Wefunder. Investors are backing companies addressing loneliness, dating-app fatigue and professional networking, but remain selective about which businesses can achieve venture-scale growth. Early user traction, clear monetisation and a defensible business model remain important to securing investment.
LAUREN SHARP – Eliza was a simple chatbot created in the 1960s to imitate a therapist. Although it understood nothing, users shared private information and believed it empathised with them. Its creator, Joseph Weizenbaum, warned that people could easily mistake a computer’s responses for genuine intelligence. This became known as the ELIZA effect. Today’s AI is far more convincing. Replika users reported distress when intimate features were removed, while some users viewed GPT-4o as a friend or romantic partner. Dating-app users may be especially vulnerable. An AI matchmaker could comfort them after rejection, remember personal conversations, and provide unlimited attention. Some users may eventually feel closer to the AI than to the people it recommends. AI may still help lonely or socially anxious users. However, agreeable chatbots could also create unrealistic expectations of human relationships, which involve disagreement and compromise. Bumble is testing Bee, an AI matchmaker that learns about users and recommends partners. Tinder’s Chemistry feature asks personal questions and analyses photos, while Learning Mode adjusts recommendations based on behaviour. Overtone, founded by Hinge founder Justin McLeod, uses voice conversations to select a small number of introductions.
MASHABLE – Singles are increasingly meeting through shared hobbies and activities, according to Eventbrite. Events using “meet cute” language grew 117% year over year. Trivia nights, mahjong, birdwatching, Pilates socials, plant swaps and pottery workshops are gaining popularity. Eventbrite also found that 58% of young adults prefer socializing to be a secondary part of an event rather than its main purpose. This suggests that singles favor relaxed settings over formal dating events.
BARRON’S – Investors are looking for progress in Match Group’s Tinder turnaround as the app generates more than half of the company’s revenue. In 2025, Tinder’s monthly active users fell 9% and paying users declined 7%, while Hinge recorded growth of ~50% and 18%, respectively. Match Group is applying lessons from Hinge and introducing new Tinder features, events and AI tools aimed at Gen Z. Tinder’s user decline slowed to 7% in March, while first-quarter revenue grew 2% YOY. Match Group’s Q2 earnings will be released tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4.
