Entrepreneurs Target Niche Dating Communities for 2025

With dating platforms continuing to evolve to meet specific audiences, more and more independent and entrepreneur-driven platforms are cropping up with a focus on certain audiences or dating techniques. A number of newer platforms founded during 2024 have been able to stay strong and get over the initial hurdles of building a starting audience, and are still going strong into 2025 as possible new competitors for some of the more recognisable sites in the industry.

Zaahirah Adam, frustrated by years of unproductive swiping, launched Hati. Unlike conventional apps, Hati eliminates profile pictures and texting. Instead, users exchange voice notes and short videos, culminating in a five-minute phone call to foster authentic connections. Adam believes that hearing a person’s voice offers more insight than weeks of messaging.

Meanwhile, Johanna Mason is tackling the rise of fake profiles and scams. Her app, Cherry, requires government ID verification to ensure users are genuine. With over half of singles encountering fake profiles, and 38% falling victim to scams, Cherry aims to restore trust to online dating. It also uses features like “vibes” to match users based on their relationship intentions.

Alex Filipelli launched two apps in quick succession – Veggly caters to vegans and vegetarians, while Lefty connects left-wing singles. Political alignment, for instance, can significantly affect relationship success, as data shows 76% of singles prefer partners with similar political beliefs. Meanwhile, the vegan/vegetarian element can be invaluable for people who want partners with similar morals towards food and animal respect/cruelty.

Despite their innovative approaches, these niche apps face a common challenge: attracting a critical mass of users. Even so, they are still operating as of the start of 2025, and there’s always a chance that the constant push for more niche and authentic dating could draw a larger user base their way.