F1 Driver Invests £100,000 Into “Sports Tinder” App Pacer

Former Williams Formula 1 development driver Alex Lynn has invested £100,000 in Pacer, a London-based app that aims to connect people through shared sporting interests rather than dating.

Pacer matches users based on factors including their preferred sports, ability, goals and availability. While the app is not positioned primarily as a dating service, its founders acknowledge that friendships formed through sport could develop into romantic relationships.

The model comes as organised sports and running clubs gain attention as alternative ways for people to meet offline. Running groups in particular have been increasingly described as an alternative to dating apps, with shared activities providing an immediate common interest between participants.

Pacer founder Dylan Morris-Jones said the idea came from his own experience after moving to Chelsea following university and finding it difficult to establish a sporting social circle. The app is therefore targeting a broader social need than dating alone. Users can join to find training partners, teammates or new friends, with romance presented as a possible outcome rather than the initial objective.

That distinction puts Pacer in an emerging category of platforms built around shared activities and interests. Traditional dating apps typically begin with romantic intent, while Pacer is attempting to create connections through participation in sport first, allowing the connections to flourish on their own without expliocity focusing on or trying to steer clear of dating as an expected part of the platform.