The founder of Hinge raised $18M to build a new AI dating service, Overtone
The founder of Hinge raised $18M to build a new AI dating service, Overtone
Hinge 创始人融资 1800 万美元，打造全新 AI 约会服务 Overtone
Hinge founder Justin McLeod announced an $18 million fundraise for his new dating company, Overtone. McLeod stepped down from his CEO role at Hinge just last year, and Hinge owner Match Group — which also owns apps like Tinder and OkCupid — is helping to fund his new company, alongside FirstMark Capital and Pace Capital. Hinge 创始人 Justin McLeod 宣布为其新成立的约会公司 Overtone 融资 1800 万美元。McLeod 去年刚刚卸任 Hinge 的首席执行官一职。此次融资由 Hinge 的母公司 Match Group（旗下还拥有 Tinder 和 OkCupid 等应用）领投，FirstMark Capital 和 Pace Capital 也参与了投资。
While details on the company are limited at this point, Overtone describes itself as “a voice- and audio-forward service, enabled by AI, that provides highly curated introductions.” 尽管目前关于该公司的细节信息有限，但 Overtone 将自己描述为“一项以语音和音频为核心、由人工智能驱动的服务，旨在提供经过精心筛选的配对介绍。”
“Overtone is not a dating app,” McLeod wrote in the 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 不是一款约会应用，”McLeod 在博客文章中写道。“我的意思是，它不是那种将人简化为数据、引语和照片的社交平台。这里没有基于瞬间冲动训练出的不透明算法信息流，也不需要同时应付多个人的点赞、匹配和聊天。”
It may seem odd for the guy who created Hinge to disparage algorithmic feeds and swiping, but the dating industry at large is evolving with the realization that users are dissatisfied with the status quo. A Forbes Health survey conducted in 2024 found that 78% of dating app users felt burnt out. The survey’s 1,000 respondents reported that they spent about 51 minutes per day on dating apps, but this time investment did not often yield fulfilling connections. 对于 Hinge 的创始人来说，贬低算法信息流和滑动操作似乎有些奇怪，但整个约会行业正在演变，因为人们意识到用户对现状并不满意。福布斯健康（Forbes Health）2024 年的一项调查发现，78% 的约会应用用户感到精疲力竭。受访的 1000 人表示，他们每天在约会应用上花费约 51 分钟，但这种时间投入往往无法带来令人满意的连接。
Most dating apps are trying to improve the quality of their matchmaking through AI, offering AI-generated conversation starters or assistance building out profiles. But many people feel frustrated with the idea of delegating even more of this intimate process to computers. 大多数约会应用正试图通过人工智能提高匹配质量，提供 AI 生成的开场白或协助完善个人资料。但许多人对于将更多私密过程交给计算机处理感到沮丧。
McLeod seems more interested in using AI to narrow down who might be a good match, as opposed to outsourcing actual conversations and connections. “We get to know each person deeply, learning about them in their own voice, hearing their own unique story,” McLeod wrote. “And we make only the introductions that are worth making, grounded in relationship science and thoughtful reflection. We transparently explain why we believe someone is a great match.” McLeod 似乎更倾向于利用人工智能来缩小潜在匹配对象的范围，而不是将实际的对话和连接外包出去。“我们深入了解每个人，通过他们自己的声音去学习，倾听他们独特的个人故事，”McLeod 写道。“我们只进行值得进行的介绍，这些介绍基于关系科学和深思熟虑。我们会透明地解释为什么我们认为某人是绝佳的匹配对象。”
Other new apps like Ditto and Date Drop are betting on a similar approach, using AI to pair users up, rather than putting everyone in a pool to swipe on one another, creating the illusion of endless choice and a hotbed for ghosting. 其他新兴应用如 Ditto 和 Date Drop 也采取了类似的策略，利用人工智能进行配对，而不是将所有人放在一个池子里互相滑动，从而制造出选择无限的错觉，并成为“玩失踪”（ghosting）的温床。
Overtone will be available later this year, but only in certain locations. In addition to its fundraise, the company also announced that relationship expert Esther Perel has joined the board alongside Match CEO Spencer Rascoff and leadership advisor Diana Chapman. Overtone 将于今年晚些时候推出，但仅限于特定地区。除了融资消息外，该公司还宣布关系专家 Esther Perel 已加入董事会，与 Match 首席执行官 Spencer Rascoff 和领导力顾问 Diana Chapman 共事。