Read AI Dating App Similar Pitch Material: $9.2M Seed

Allen Wang and Eric Liu, who dropped out of the University of California, Berkeley, believe AI can be used to help college students find love.

Their dating startup Ditto leverages AI to match people based on data users enter into the service. Then plan a date for them.

“We bring people back to real-life interactions,” Wang, 23, told Business Insider.

After creating a profile, users message Ditto’s AI chatbot directly via text about their type and dating preferences, without the need for an app. On Wednesday, users will receive a text about potential matches. After each date, Ditto will follow up with you for feedback and use that information as additional data for future matches.

“People are tired of being stuck behind an app,” Wang said.

Ditto announced Tuesday that it has raised $9.2 million in seed funding led by venture capital firm Peak XV with participation from Alumni Ventures, Gradient, Scribble Ventures and others.

Wang said the seed funding will primarily be used to hire talent in AI and growth areas, as well as marketing the company. The company has a staff of 10 and has raised a total of $9.5 million to date. Ditto, we launched the product in early 2025.

Ditto isn’t the only AI dating app currently gaining traction.

Other startups like Sitch, Known, and Amata have raised millions of dollars for similar products pitching AI-powered matchmaking as a new alternative to profile swiping. Meanwhile, mainstream dating apps like Tinder and Bumble are also experimenting with the realm of AI to reignite user interest.

According to Wang, the AI uses profile details such as a user’s hobbies and interests to simulate a date to determine whether two people are a good match.

“Can we have fun conversations? Do we have the same level of humor? Do we have similar vibes and values?” Wang said.

Become a college student and find love

The world of dating startups has a history of targeting college students as early users. For example, Tinder’s early success was due in part to marketing on college campuses.

“College students are very adaptable to new technology,” Wang said.

The app currently has approximately 42,000 people enrolled across multiple college campuses in California. With recent funding, Ditto plans to expand to more college campuses.

One tactic that can help get college users involved is parties.

Ditto will be hosting several yacht parties around the country, starting with a Valentine’s Day party in Los Angeles (it held its first yacht party this summer). At the party, 100 college students will register as above and 50 couples will be paired.

For now, Ditto is free.

“We are prioritizing growth over monetization,” Wang said, adding that the startup is interviewing users about how much they are willing to pay for dating services.

Read the 12-page pitch he used to raise $9.2 million.

Note: Some details have been redacted.

This deck starts with the history of dating apps

Dating app paradigms change every decade due to new technological innovations and generational demographics

The slide says there is a “paradigm shift every 10 years” in dating apps.

Online dating sites emerged in the 1990s and 2000s. And in the 2010s, mobile dating apps took over. He pitched investors that AI is the next frontier.

Ditto, also about AI agents and what Gen Z wants

AI Social Agent Network TECH INNO AI Agent Enables Static Profile

Same as above

The slides describe Ditto as an AI social agent network where “AI turns profiles into live agents that can interact on their own.”

“Gen Z is tired of swiping and chatting online,” the slide reads. “They prefer a ‘coffee chat vibe’ style of social. IRL, authentic, and light.”

Similarly, says dating apps like Tinder are ‘primitive’

AI Social Agent Network TECH INNO AI Agent Enables Static Profile

Same as above

This slide also incorporates an old-school video game aesthetic inspired by Super Mario Bros.

AI agent says setting date is ‘in the future’

Similarly, the future is an AI agent that directly sets the date of your dreams.

Then the deck explains how ditto works

Ditto, tell me your type (in phone UI:) Tell me about your type 1/2 What are the red flags for you when dating? Enter your answer here…

On the website, users fill out a questionnaire and tell Ditto about their “type”. It then begins sending text messages directly to users.

Similarly, after finding a match, send a date invitation

The text includes a collage of the user’s photos.

Ditto will then set a date and follow up to get feedback.

Ditto: AI “connects hidden dots”

Wang told Business Insider that AI is helping him “understand the core, deeper values” of why two people are a good match.

Similarly, atmosphere-based matchmaking is also proposed.

All you need is a vibrator Connect based on inference

Contains a flowchart that explains how the agent system works.

Ditto, it takes user data and feeds it into an analytics agent to perform image analysis, attractiveness analysis, and profile tagging.

Next, in the “pre-date reasoning” phase, the matchmaking agent conducts a “atmosphere check” and “matching of interests”, followed by a “date simulation.” The dating sim agent then looks at things like “first impressions” and “conversation flow” before presenting you with a match.