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New York-based dating startup Sitch has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to fuel its expansion and enhance its AI-powered matchmaking platform. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz’s accelerator program Speedrun, with participation from previous angel investors, including Jeremy Liew.
Sitch, which launched in late 2024, aims to offer a more curated and humanized alternative to traditional swipe-based dating apps. The app uses OpenAI technology to drive an AI matchmaker chatbot, trained on real-life introductions by co-founder and part-time matchmaker Nandini Mullaji. The platform matches users based on detailed profile inputs and offers a limited number of curated “setups” each week.
“We are coming in and saying, ‘Hey, we have a business model shift and we have a total platform shift,’” said Mullaji, referring to Sitch’s move away from freemium models and toward upfront pricing. Match packages range from $90 to $160, and users receive a refund if they’re ghosted after an introduction.
In an effort to further humanize the experience, Sitch is rolling out voice-based AI tools that let users engage with the app via phone calls. The onboarding process now includes a conversation with an AI clone of Mullaji’s voice, with future updates allowing users to leave verbal feedback on matches. The startup is using technology from ElevenLabs to power this feature.
Sitch has already launched in New York City and plans to expand to San Francisco and Los Angeles in May, followed by Chicago and Washington, D.C., depending on user interest.
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