Schmooze – an AI-powered meme-based dating platform – has closed its Series A round of $4 million, led by Elevation Capital. The round also included participation from angel investors, such as the founders of UltraHuman, The Souled Store, Mosaic Wellness, and Paytm.

Schmooze plans to utilize the funding to:

• Enhance its AI capabilities
• Scale user acquisition efforts

Founders’ Vision

Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag created Schmooze to address frustrations with appearance-focused dating apps, instead matching users based on their personalities and shared humor. Memes became the bridge for predicting compatibility.

• Launch & Growth:
  In just 10 months since its India launch, Schmooze has attracted over 1 million users and seen 900 million meme swipes.
  The platform has a 3x better female-to-male ratio compared to other mainstream dating apps.

Vidya Madhavan reflected:
"At Stanford, I noticed people were tired of the superficial swiping culture. Memes became the language of connection for Gen Z. We combined this insight with AI to create Schmooze, where meme swipes lead to meaningful connections."

AI & Content Expansion

• Abhinav Anurag shared that Schmooze is expanding into other forms of content.
• Schmooze’s AI engine evolves with each meme interaction, crafting distinct digital personas.

Features include:

• Schmooze Predicts: quirky match insights like, "You both have annoying relatives."
• Genie: helps users improve storytelling, amplifying expression and authenticity.

The Investment

Amit Aggarwal, Principal at Elevation Capital, stated:
"Schmooze matches the psyche of today’s youth, offering a vibe-check that resonates with their unique cultural language."

Beyond Dating

Schmooze also tackles Gen Z’s loneliness and social disconnection with features like:

• Roast AI: simulates conversations with a stand-up comedian
• Rant AI: a digital diary that responds to user inputs

Source: Business Standard