Hinge is Tinder for Relationships, Raises $4m Funding
Hinge, the dating app that aims to cross Tinder with Match.com, has raised $4m in Series A funding.
Much like Tinder, Hinge connects a user via Facebook and sends you matches from your friends’ friends every day at noon.
These matches are based on “social proximity” information from Facebook and you swipe left or right to approve or dismiss.
If two users mutually approve, they are put in touch – and if they aren’t using Hinge, they are sent an invitation.
However co-founder Justin McLeod says that despite its similarity to Tinder, the app is more aligned towards creating lasting relationships, like Match.
Speaking to TechCrunch, McLeod said: “When we ask our users, they say they use them differently.
“I use Tinder when I’m out and about or bored or want to mess around, and Hinge is where I meet the people I want to date.”
The app only shows friends of friends and like Match and eHarmony it uses an algorithm matching system.
The Washington-based start-up was launched by McLeod in 2011, while studying at Harvard Business School.
This year Hinge expanded to New York and Boston, doubling its user base to around 60,000.
Most impressively they kept these new users active – 85% of downloaders staying active after a week, 75% after a month.
The company aims to expand further following their $4m funding.
Their investors now include Great Oaks, the Social + Capital, former Director of Facebook Business Development David Fisch and an undisclosed founder of LivingSocial.
Hinge aims to release an iOS7 optimised version by the end of the year.
