'At Heart to Heart, we're thinking about potential harms from the onset.

They just think about all the value it provides, but not about the harms that it could cause,' Ogundu said. 'Early stage founders, especially folks who are in the stage that I'm at, don't think about that. Many women who have used dating sites or apps have been harassed or sent explicit messages. Dating apps like Grindr and Tinder have a reputation for being a 'hook up' app. Ogundu understands that the digital space can bring about trust and safety issues. Pew Research estimates 53% of Americans still agree that dating sites and apps are a safe way to meet people. Overall, a majority of online daters have had a positive experience, but women in particular report being the target of rude or harassing behavior while on these platforms. adults have now used online dating according to Pew Research. In his free time, he's caught creating satirical videos on TikTok, reading books about the working class or the ultra rich, or watching anime.Įven though Heart to Heart is a dating app, Ogundu wanted this app to 'encapsulate all of what we're really looking to do, which is to build intentional, intimate connections between humans.'ĭating apps have never been more popular than during the COVID-19 era. 'Just because you can't always go back to messages that people leave you in real life, so why have it cluttering the inbox,' Ogundu said. Similarly, once you've listened to the message, you can no longer go back and re-listen. Once matched, you will be directed to the other person's inbox where you can send voice messages to each other like iMessage. Heart to Heart, like all dating apps, has the matching function. Each person's profile will be a mix of photos and prompts accompanied by a voice recording. Once the user creates a profile, they will be prompted to upload a photo and click record similarly to the iPhone record button where the person will then share a story or explain the photo in more detail. The app aims to provide the dating community with authenticity and not just people who put their most polished self forward. The launch date for Heart to Heart is not set but a beta version should be available by the end of the year for iOS users. But on Monday, Hinge threw a wrench in the plan by announcing that it would offer an audio feature. The money will be used for product development and testing user acquisition channels. The company is in stealth mode, but has raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding led by Charles Hudson at Precursor Ventures. The connection led to a Zoom call Now, Heart to Heart is one step closer to becoming a reality. His call out on Twitter gained the attention of Arihant Jain and Komal Shrivastava.

Looks like it's time for me to start talking to engineering folks about my audio dating app idea - Josh February 13, 2021

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