Sitch

Sitch is a New York-based technology startup that operates a dating platform combining artificial intelligence with human oversight to offer a matchmaking concierge service. Launched in late 2024, the company aims to provide a high-intent alternative to conventional swipe-based dating applications. The founders are Nandini Mullaji, a Stanford MBA graduate with experience building two other consumer apps, and Chad DePue, who previously led teams at Snap, Whisper, and Uniswap. Mullaji, who has a background as a matchmaker, was inspired by her grandmother and the belief that matchmaking is fundamentally a data problem that traditional apps don't solve effectively. DePue brings technical expertise from his experience in building social apps.

The platform's business model is a departure from the typical subscription or freemium models in the dating industry. Sitch employs a pay-per-setup model, where users purchase packages of introductions and only pay when both individuals mutually agree to be introduced. Pricing tiers range from approximately $90 for three setups to $160 for eight. This structure is designed to align the company's incentives with user outcomes, focusing on the quality and intent of matches. If a user is ghosted after an introduction, the company offers a refund.

Sitch's service begins with a detailed onboarding process where a chatbot, built on OpenAI technology and trained on Mullaji's matchmaking expertise, asks users nearly 50 questions about their values, preferences, and lifestyle. Users can respond via text or voice. The AI then suggests a limited number of curated matches per week. If both parties consent to a meeting, they are connected in a group chat that includes the AI bot, which helps facilitate the introduction. The platform emphasizes user privacy, ensuring that detailed personal information is used only for matchmaking purposes and not made public. Initially launched exclusively in New York City on iOS, the company plans to expand to other major U.S. cities. In April 2025, Sitch announced it had raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz's accelerator program, Speedrun, to fuel this expansion and further develop its AI technology.

Keywords: AI matchmaking, dating concierge, pay-per-setup, high-intent dating, curated matches, Nandini Mullaji, Chad DePue, relationship service, dating application, OpenAI, human-in-the-loop, New York dating, voice onboarding, anti-ghosting, matchmaking service