No left or right swipe: This startup from Hinge founder wants AI to find your soulmate

Published 16 July 2026 · tech

Will you let AI choose your partner? It may sound amusing and perhaps even a little unsettling. But in an age where AI is becoming

Will you let AI choose your partner? It may sound amusing and perhaps even a little unsettling. But in an age where AI is becoming a researcher, coder, teacher, friend and even therapist, why not let it play Cupid too? That's exactly what former Hinge chief executive Justin McLeod is betting on. With his new venture, Overtone, he wants AI to help people find meaningful relationships through carefully curated introductions instead of endless scrolling. Read Full Story McLeod has already raised $18 million for Overtone. This AI-powered matchmaking service promises to do away with profiles, endless swiping and juggling multiple chats. Instead, it aims to introduce people only when it believes there's a genuine chance of a meaningful connection. The startup is backed by FirstMark Capital, Pace Capital and Match Group, the company behind Hinge, Tinder and OkCupid, and is expected to launch later this year in select locations.

So why let AI choose your partner? According to McLeod, who stepped down as Hinge CEO after nearly 15 years late last year, the current dating app model simply isn't working for many people anymore. He argues that dating app fatigue has become a real problem, with users growing tired of the endless cycle of swiping, matching, chatting and often getting nowhere. In fact, Overtone doesn't even want to be called a dating app. Instead of asking users to build polished profiles or upload the perfect set of photos, Overtone plans to get to know people through conversations. According to McLeod, the AI will listen to users in their own voice, understand their personality, values and relationship goals, and only introduce them to someone when it genuinely believes there's a strong match.

Even more interestingly, Overtone says it will explain why it believes two people are compatible instead of leaving users wondering what mysterious algorithm brought them together. And if all this sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of Black Mirror. The idea behind Overtone sounds similar to the show's popular episode Hang the DJ, where an AI system quietly decides who should date whom. While Overtone isn't assigning expiry dates to relationships or running secret simulations, the similarity is outright. Letting technology decide when two people should meet instead of leaving them to scroll through thousands of profiles. McLeod argues that many of the most frustrating parts of online dating aren't things people actually enjoy doing. Writing bios that sound interesting, judging strangers within seconds based on a handful of photos, browsing thousands of potential partners and trying to turn a "like" into a real date were simply the best technology could offer at the time.