A smartphone that displays various dating apps.
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It’s easy to swipe left and keep looking. So swipe right to like someone.
However, not many people can swipe, especially if nothing is displayed. As a result, more and more singles are deciding to trust matchmakers, the old source of datefinders.
Professional matchmakers have been around for decades and are rooted in our culture. Check out the “Millionaire Matchmaker” show, which has been held for eight years since 2008.
Unlike the app economy, traditional matchmaking services often cost thousands of dollars, making them inaccessible to a wide range of people.
More and more apps and companies are trying to bring matchmaking to the new generation by combining old methods with the latest technology.
One newcomer Lox ClubCEO Austin Kevitch, a member-only dating app founded in 2020.
Lox Club operates on a subscription model and charges $ 96 for 12 months. The company provides all members with access to matchmakers. Matchmakers can set users up to each other and provide feedback on their personal profile. Mr. Kevic said that thousands of people used the service, but he wasn’t more specific.
“Professional matchmakers charge about $ 10,000 to $ 20,000 and aren’t as familiar with the dating app struggle as their peers,” Kevic wrote in an email without providing details on Lox Club’s success rate. .. “I couldn’t afford this. No one on our team could afford this, so make it more affordable and rebrand like a friend who can help me find the date. I knew I needed to. “
The company currently has three matchmakers and is hiring more.
Interest in matchmaking is consistent with an increase in online dating burnout. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that many dating people were reduced to online options. Companies have begun investing heavily in audio and video features to allow users to date from home.
However, not everyone wants to rely on hours of swiping to find a date, as pre-pandemic activity has begun. Instead, they outsource their work to professionals.
“I think people are looking for other options, and there are more people talking and thinking about matchmakers,” said Ali Jackson, a date coach who followed the handle and built a large Instagram. @findingmrheightTold CNBC.
Lily Montasser, co-founder of New York City speed dating startup Anvil clubIn other words.
“Everyone is exhausted,” she said.
Launched at the end of last year, Ambyr holds a couple of monthly events in a trendy location in the city, targeting a carefully selected group of 10 men and 10 women. Montasser and co-founder Victoria Van Ness, who may use wildcards, will bring 20 people to the event based on who they think is appropriate.
Ambyr will withdraw from the wide pool of event members. All of them have passed interviews and background checks. Applicants will pay an application fee of $ 60 and an additional $ 150 per event if selected. According to Ambyr, the acceptance rate is 15% and the database has about 200 members.
The matchmaker also plays the role of a part-time dating therapist with the client.
“I didn’t know how much trauma was in the world of general dating in today’s world,” New York-born 28-year-old Ali Axelrod told CNBC. Axelrod has worked with Cassie Levine, who recently launched her company. Inquire within..
Axelrod has had two dates so far while working with Levine.
“Even if the actual matchmaking fails, what it has achieved is that I feel much more validated and confident,” he said. “So hundreds of dollars are worth it to remind me of something I didn’t even know I needed to remind.”
Levine, which launched Inquire Within in April, is currently charging $ 150 per hour.
Niche players aren’t the only ones behind the revival of matchmaking.
Online dating giant Match group Immerse yourself in matchmaking through the app from which the name comes from. In November the company Human matchmaking elements For that dating service. For $ 4.99 per week, Match employees flag two profiles per week to narrow down their options. Match did not respond to a request for comment on the success of the feature.
The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the number of people seeking love on dating platforms such as Match Group’s Tinder app.
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Matchmaking, by definition, is often a tedious process that requires costly human work rather than artificial intelligence. This isn’t the focus of large apps like Tinder and Hinge owned by Match. Bumble.. The closest thing Hinge offers is the “prominent” profile feature, which shows who your users are interested in based on your swipe history.
“Matchmaking requires a lot of manually moving parts, which members use and demand more,” said Kevitch of Lox Club. “I was surprised at first, but the members want it to exist, so I’m doing it.”
Van Ness said there was some irony in the idea that “we are just trying to reintroduce that face-to-face aspect.”
“When the app was first introduced, it was so heterogeneous that we laugh because everyone was saying,’Wait, do you want to meet a potential partner from the app?'” She says. I did. “And when we started selling anvils, people responded exactly the same. They’re like,” Wait, you want us to meet you again, it’s so weird. ” .. “
