Known, a San Francisco-based dating startup, has successfully raised $9.7 million in funding to advance its unique voice AI-powered platform, which aims to encourage more authentic in-person connections. The investment round saw participation from notable investors including Forerunner, NFX, PearVC, and Coelius Capital, marking Forerunner's first venture into the dating app sector.
Founders Celeste Amadon and Asher Allen initially began developing an AI app to book restaurant dates. However, they soon discovered a more impactful approach: using AI to foster genuine human connection. Their breakthrough came with a voice-powered AI onboarding system that allowed them to learn extensively about users without requiring tedious forms. This revealed a key insight: people loved to talk, leading to an average onboarding session length of 26 minutes, and in some cases, up to an hour and 38 minutes.
"Our take is that for the first time, we could know enough about somebody to serve them a date that would make sense. And if we could do that much faster with less rejection rate, we could create a user experience that could get people out on more dates," Amadon stated.
Early results from Known's beta testing in San Francisco have been promising. The company reported that 80% of its introductions led to physical dates, a significantly higher rate compared to traditional swipe-based dating apps. These strong indicators helped secure the substantial funding.
Eurie Kim, a partner at Forerunner, expressed confidence in Amadon's vision. "Celeste is a really thoughtful founder to understand the mindset of the consumer, which is a young female, to be honest," Kim told TechCrunch. "There are other people who can be focused on the male demographic, but she is focused on the young female who has a lot of unspoken desires and needs that, if you put them in a profile, they would never say, this versus that. And I think in a conversation, you can get a lot of those nuances out, but in the past, the conversation required a $10,000 matchmaker."
Amadon, who along with Allen dropped out of Stanford to build Known, emphasized her interest in social impact at scale. She believes that dating is one of the most significant challenges facing her generation. "There's been a million pieces written about the loneliness epidemic in the U.S. And I do really think that it's our generation's largest problem," she added.
How Known's Voice AI Works
Currently in beta testing in San Francisco, the Known app utilizes its voice AI-powered onboarding to engage users in conversations, gathering detailed insights without the need for traditional forms. This conversational approach makes the onboarding process more personal and allows the AI to ask dynamic follow-up questions. For instance, if a user mentions having recently moved to a city, the AI can delve deeper into their experiences and preferences, uncovering nuances that might be missed in a written profile.
Once onboarding is complete, the AI suggests potential matches. Users can then interact with AI agents to learn more about these profiles. If a profile sparks interest, users can tap "interested." When two individuals match, they are given a 24-hour window to accept the introduction and another 24 hours to agree on a date. This mechanism is designed to minimize lingering chats and ghosting, actively encouraging users to meet in real life. After their dates, users can provide feedback to the AI, which helps refine future match recommendations.
Known hasn't entirely abandoned its initial idea of facilitating date logistics. The app also assists users in selecting restaurants based on their likes and dislikes. Through AI chat and calendar integrations, users can easily communicate their availability for first dates.
Business Model and Future Plans
During its beta phase, Known charged users $30 per successful date. However, the startup is still experimenting with different payment models to determine the most effective approach for its official launch. The team currently comprises three full-time engineers and four go-to-market specialists, supported by several contractors. Amadon, whose background includes political internships, and Allen, who previously worked on product at AI-powered online shopping app Phia, plan to expand their headcount with the new funding.
Known is set to launch officially early next year, following its ongoing testing in San Francisco.
Competitive Landscape
The dating app market is seeing a surge of innovation, with several new startups, including others like Keeper, Wavelength, and Overtone (founded by former Hinge CEO Justin McLeod), leveraging AI to enhance user matching. Many of these newcomers aim to offer personalized matchmaking services, traditionally costing thousands, at a fraction of the price. Established players like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are also integrating AI features to keep their user base engaged.
Despite the growing competition, Amadon remains optimistic. "When it comes to other startup dating products, I've been so happy to see a lot of people building in the space because I think it shows that it's time to shift away from a swipe-based model," she said. "And I think most of them that I've seen have been pretty different from what we're building at Known."
