The CEO of Hinges is Justin McLeod going down for its role in the launch of a new AI-powered dating product called Overtone.
The press release says Match Group, the dating giant that owns apps like Hinge, Tinder and OkCupid, is backing Overtone with pre-seed financing and plans to take a “significant ownership position.”
Thanks to Match's support, the Overtone project was created on Hinge. McLeod and a dedicated team spent a year developing the idea for Overtone, which is described as “an early-stage dating service focused on using artificial intelligence and voice tools to help people connect in a more thoughtful and personal way.”
McLeod isn't the only dating app developer offering new, standalone AI experiences. – said Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble wants to use artificial intelligence to create “the smartest and most emotionally intelligent matchmaker in the world.” Somewhat infamously, Wolfe Herd proposed last year I came up with the idea of singles using AI to replace themselves and date other people's AI.
It's not yet clear how Overtone will differentiate itself from other dating apps that are experimenting with artificial intelligence features to offset the growing malaise in the online dating market – especially among Generation Z.
Tinder has seen nine straight quarters of declines in paying subscribers and has relied on artificial intelligence with features intended to help users get more matches. This week, Hinge launched another AI feature called “Convo Starters,” which aims to help daters come up with more interesting things to say than just small talk. Tinder and Facebook Dating have been experimenting with AI-powered matching to combat “swipe fatigue.”
Giving up control over dating is one thing, but other attempts to integrate AI into these apps become even more questionable.
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Match CEO Spencer Rascoff said last month that Tinder will be a “core pillar of its services in 2026.” there will be a feature called Chemistry. With the user's permission, the feature will access the user's camera rolls to learn more about them. (For the record, we recommend that you don't give tech companies unlimited access to even more of your data.)
McLeod founded Hinge in 2011 as a dating app that focused more on building relationships than facilitating casual dates. The app, which is expected to reach $1 billion in revenue by 2027, was acquired by Match in 2019. Jackie Jantos, president and chief marketing officer of Hinge, will take over as CEO. McLeod will remain in an advisory role at Hinge until March.
This summer, TechCrunch spoke with Jantos at SXSW London about how Hinge will appeal to Gen Z, a market that's growing more and more disappointed with meeting people online.
“This is a generation that has grown up with a deep understanding of how digital experiences are created and what they are trying to get out of them,” Jantos told TechCrunch.
According to Jantos, Generation Z expects transparency and authenticity from digital brands. While some may see this as inherently inconsistent with the company's growing reliance on AI, Hinge's AI recommendation feature launched in March has contributed to growth 15% increase in matches and exchange of contacts in the first quarter of this year.
Jantos' comments since taking on her new role indicate that Hinge will continue to invest in these features under her leadership.
“Our focus will continue to be intentional innovation based on culture, creativity and a deep understanding of how people connect with each other today,” Jantos said in a statement.
