Former Tinder Executive Launches Dating App Rivet With $10.5M in Funding

Former Tinder and Match Group executive Taru Kapoor has launched dating app Rivet across the US. Rivet has raised $10.5 million in seed funding from Peak XV Partners, Shine Capital and Blume Ventures. Former Tinder and OkCupid CEO Elie Seidman is also an early investor in the company and has advised Kapoor during its development.

Kapoor knows the dating industry well. She joined Tinder in 2015 to build the business in India and spent eight years with Tinder and Match Group. Her responsibilities eventually expanded across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Turkey. Match Group previously credited her with helping turn Tinder into a major brand in India and growing OkCupid in the country. She left the company in 2023.

Rivet is built around what the company calls “Social Matching.” Rather than leaving people to swipe through profiles alone, Rivet asks other people to weigh in on potential couples. Users can join as a Dater looking for a relationship or as a Matcher helping other people find one. The app first identifies potential pairs based on their preferences, interests and dating intentions. Rivet’s community can then decide whether the two people look compatible. This can include other users, invited friends or Rivet’s “Elite Matchers.” Daters receive introductions backed by those recommendations and can then decide whether they want to see the full profile and connect.

Rivet has already been testing the model in Charlotte, where it launched earlier this year. Kapoor said in June that the app had attracted thousands of users. Rivet has also been experimenting with offline events, including live dating shows where audiences vote on whether two singles have chemistry.

Mark Brooks: Numerous ‘friends as matchmakers’ apps have come and gone but this turns the friends role into something lite and fun. Its also invoking the wisdom of the crowd. Great product design.