Justin McLeod, the creator of Hinge, has announced an $18 million funding round for his new venture, Overtone. McLeod stepped down as Hinge’s CEO just last year, and Hinge’s parent company, Match Group—which also operates Tinder and OkCupid—is backing this new project alongside FirstMark Capital and Pace Capital. While specifics remain scarce, Overtone describes itself as “a voice- and audio-forward service, enabled by AI, that provides highly curated introductions.”

“Overtone is not a dating app,” McLeod explained in a blog post. “By that I mean it’s not a social platform with profiles that reduce people to stats, quotes and photos. There are no opaque, algorithmic feeds trained on split-second impulses. And there’s no juggling likes, matches and chats across many people at once.”

It might seem unusual for the person behind Hinge to criticize algorithmic feeds and swiping, but the broader dating industry is shifting as it recognizes widespread user dissatisfaction. A 2024 Forbes Health survey found that 78% of dating app users felt burnt out. The survey’s 1,000 participants reported spending about 51 minutes daily on dating apps, yet this time investment rarely led to meaningful connections. Many dating platforms are now turning to AI to improve matchmaking—offering AI-generated conversation starters or helping users build profiles. However, many people feel uneasy about outsourcing even more of this intimate process to machines. McLeod appears focused on using AI to identify compatible matches rather than automating conversations themselves. “We get to know each person deeply, learning about them in their own voice, hearing their own unique story,” McLeod wrote. “And we make only the introductions that are worth making, grounded in relationship science and thoughtful reflection. We transparently explain why we believe someone is a great match.”

Other emerging apps like Ditto and Date Drop are adopting a similar strategy, leveraging AI to pair users instead of throwing everyone into a swipeable pool that creates an illusion of endless options and fosters ghosting. Overtone is set to launch later this year, but only in select locations. Alongside the funding announcement, the company also revealed that relationship expert Esther Perel has joined the board, along with Match CEO Spencer Rascoff and leadership advisor Diana Chapman.