Rather than matching users based on shared hobbies alone, Ditto says its system looks for underlying personality traits reflected by those interests.
"If there's this guy, and he's really into rock climbing, skydiving, and outdoor sports, and this girl, if she's into hip hop, streetwear, and skateboarding, then even though those hobbies don't look similar on the surface, I can tell you deeper down, both are very adventurous; maybe they're very individualistic," Wang said. "So that's actually the core reason why people will find chemistry with each other, and so basically our claim is that chemistry is actually predictable with the right signals."
Once users complete onboarding, Ditto delivers one match each week.
"It comes with the person, it comes with a time, it comes with a location, and the users simply just need to show up and date each other and come back. We'll collect more feedback about the date, and then improve our understanding of the user, and send them to a better next date," Wang said. "Right now people's goal is really just to go out there and meet each other, so it's actually removing a lot of friction for our users, so that we are doing the heavy lifting for them, and they just simply go there and then meet whoever."
According to the company, Ditto has attracted 150,000 signups across a few dozen colleges. Wang said about 20% of matches arranged through the platform result in an in-person date.
The service currently limits access to college students using university email addresses, which also serves as a verification measure while the company expands to additional campuses. Ditto said it is focused on growing safely before eventually moving beyond universities.
The seed funding came from investors including Gradient, Peak XV, and Scribble. Wang said interest from investors largely developed through the company's online presence.
"99% of the investors just reached out to us through inbound, because we were pretty big on LinkedIn and Twitter for a bit. Even Duolingo's co-founder Severin Hacker reached out to me saying, 'Hey, love your mission, I really like what you do, let's hop on a call.'"
Based in San Francisco, Ditto has 12 full-time employees and has built its brand through social media campaigns and unconventional marketing. Wang said those efforts are intended to attract students, but the long-term value comes from the dating experience itself.
"Our users are college students, and they can smell corporate marketing from a mile away," Wang said. "But the stunts are the top of the funnel, not the product … Viral moments get college kids to look; a good first date is what makes them stay."
This analysis is based on reporting from TechCrunch.
Image courtesy of Ditto.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
