Censio is a startup dating platform that utilises state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence to only match members with one other person at a time.
The LoveCouch is a social media service found inside the Censio app, where users can share updates about their dating life, receive advice from other singles and read blog posts from celebrity matchmaker and co-founder Carmelia Ray.
GDI recently spoke to Censio’s second co-founder, Cyr-Modeste Mongo, about the inner workings of the app and what the future of the online dating landscape might look like.
Read the full interview below:
For those who aren’t familiar with Censio, what makes your brand different from other online dating offerings?
CMM: “We do not consider Censio a dating app. Our process mirrors the matchmakers’ process. Therefore, Censio is the first matchmaking app. Just like a matchmaker, Censio guides you from the start of your search process, all the way through to finding, meeting, and matching with that special someone. Censio uses a proprietary AI technology to curate highly compatible matches based on your behaviors, personality, activities, and ‘real life’ past dating experiences.
“Other key differentiators include: matches are introduced to each other through our ‘BookInterface’ – a digital book generated by Censio’s AI that tells the unique story of each single individual, our partnership with Opentable which allows you to book your date at a location of your choice within the app, and our Alexa skill which allows you to vocally interact with the app, get matchmaking updates and more.”
Why is it so important for modern singles to slow down and only interact with one match at a time?
CMM: “According to research, 84% of people that use dating apps are looking for a long-term relationship and having trouble finding it. Some of the top reasons they shared as preventing them from finding that special someone include: being provided with too many matches and having to browse hundreds of profiles just to find one quality match, having to message dozens of users just to get one quality date, and struggling with coordinating schedules to find the right day, time, and place to meet.
“Most modern singles are busy and have very little time; being matched to one person at a time allows them to focus and sincerely explore the relationship potential before making a final decision.”
What sort of impact do you think integrating a social community interface into a dating app has on the overall dating experience?
CMM: “I love the quote from Ilyanla Vanzant that says: ‘It’s important that we share our experiences with other people. Your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else. When you tell your story, you free yourself and give other people permission to acknowledge their own story.’
“Love is not easy, we all have past experiences (good or bad) and being able to share them and get feedback allows you to improve yourself before getting into a new potential relationship. Censio’s LoveCouch not only allows you to read and react to other people’s dating and relationship experiences, but also share your experience, and get advice and feedback from the community.”
How do you think Artificial Intelligence and online dating will continue to develop in the future?
CMM: “Any company who works in the AI space knows how immensely difficult it is to create true intelligence. You need the right data, and lots of it. To this day we struggle with even simple image recognition algorithms.
“What we are doing with Censio is creating an Intelligence that can understand the most complex subject of all: human relationships. It will be a multidimensional approach using both data and intuition.”
What can we expect to see from Censio throughout the rest of 2019?
CMM: “Our iOS version quietly went live in the Apple Store a couple of weeks ago. The Android version will follow in late 2019. For the rest of 2019, we are focusing on strategically promoting Censio through conferences, events, and more, while also looking for the right investors to secure our first round of funding.”
Visit the Censio website here.