Schmooze, a meme-based dating app that uses artificial intelligence to match users based on humor and personality traits, has raised $4 million in a Series A funds round led by Lifting capital.
The round also saw participation from prominent angel investors including the founders of Ultrahuman, The Souled Store, Mosaic Wellness and Paytm.
The startup plans to use the capital raised to expand the app’s user acquisition efforts and improve its AI-powered features.
A unique approach to dating through memes
Founded in 2021 by Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag, the Bengaluru-based startup believes that existing dating apps, which prioritize matching users based on appearance alone, lead to poor-quality connections.
To solve this problem, they launched Schmooze, a dating app that focuses on personality rather than physical appearance.
The platform leverages memes to connect users with similar humor, with the goal of fostering deeper connections based on shared interests and personality traits.
Interestingly, this approach particularly resonates with Gen Z users, who prefer more meaningful interactions rather than the shallow swiping culture common on other platforms.
“When I was at Stanford, I realized how tired people were of the swipe culture. They wanted more than just looks; they craved connection beyond the surface. And then it hit me: Memes are the new language of connection for Gen Z. Memes aren’t just funny pictures; they’re windows into our personalities. So, we combined this knowledge with AI to create Schmooze, where swiping on a meme image is the key to finding your perfect match,” said Vidya Madhavan.
AI-powered features for a personalized experience
Schmooze’s AI engine plays a pivotal role in enhancing user engagement. One of the platform’s standout features is its AI-powered dating coach, “Genie,” which offers personalized insights and helps users navigate the dating experience.
Additionally, Schmooze offers quirky features like “Roast AI,” which simulates conversations with a comedian, and “Rant AI,” a digital diary that responds to users’ thoughts and emotions, giving them a sense of camaraderie even when they’re not directly interacting with others.
“We realized that the power of content to bring people together and make them understand if they can connect with each other is immense and universal. While we started with memes, we are quickly expanding to other forms of content,” Anurag noted, indicating the company’s plans to diversify its content offering beyond memes.
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User growth and engagement
Since its launch, Schmooze claims to have attracted over a million users and witnessed over 900 million meme thefts.
The startup also claims to have a three times better ratio of female to male users compared to other mainstream dating platforms, a significant achievement in the competitive online dating market.
Schmooze’s founders attribute the app’s success to its ability to break the mold of traditional dating apps, which often emphasize looks over compatibility. The AI engine, which evolves with each user interaction, creates personalized digital profiles that help users find matches based on their unique sense of humor and personality, rather than their appearance.
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