The newest addition to the relationship app scene is Cheers, a newly launched matchmaking app out there to customers in New York Metropolis. Based by former Instagram engineer, Sahil Ahuja, Cheers units itself aside by providing friend-matchmaking and social posting options to facilitate new connections.
Cheers (the place nearly everyone is aware of your title) places a twist on the acquainted mechanics of relationship apps. Customers can swipe via profiles and interact in direct messaging, all whereas leveraging their current good friend community to play matchmaker, letting customers swipe on behalf of their mates, share profiles, and ask for introductions, eradicating the awkwardness of assembly potential matches on-line.
Moreover, Cheers incorporates social media options corresponding to photograph sharing, letting customers put up as many pictures as they need, slightly than being restricted to the six or so pictures that the majority relationship apps enable. Ahuja believes that including limitless pictures, featured on a Instagram-style profile, will improve the consumer expertise, making the relationship app extra like a social platform. It additionally helps with the vetting course of, since a possible match could also be tagged in certainly one of their good friend’s pictures.
Ahuja advised TechCrunch, “I’ve talked to quite a lot of ladies who’ve felt that that’s really one thing that’s actually helpful for them as a result of in the event that they see individuals on there with a good friend, it validates it is a legit individual. They’re not sketchy. It’d be okay to exit with them in actual life.”
Ahuja labored at Instagram for 4 years earlier than venturing into the startup world to start his web3 firm, Soho, which was offered to Sound final yr. It has all the time been his dream to construct Cheers, however he wished to work at Instagram first to reinforce his expertise. In a means, Instagram is its personal relationship app. Increasingly more customers have turned to the app to “slide into the DMs” of their newest crush.
The thought of a good friend matchmaking app shouldn’t be a brand new . Tinder tried this in 2023 with “Tinder Matchmaker,” and Bumble has its “Advocate to a Buddy” function. Startups like Loop and Wingman additionally function on the identical precept.
Though good friend matchmaking isn’t new, Cheers displays the altering conduct of on-line daters, who’re gravitating towards making extra genuine connections. What higher technique to assure they’ll discover a first rate match than by counting on shut mates who know them greatest?
Not like the distant connections customers could comply with on Instagram or Fb, Cheers takes a extra private strategy. It requires customers to solely invite people from their contact checklist, emphasizing a extra intentional means of connecting. By proscribing customers to viewing solely three matches per day, the app promotes deliberate and purposeful relationship interactions, placing the consumer’s expertise on the forefront.
As many relationship apps experiment with AI, Cheers is using ChatGPT to recommend which pictures to put up and generate captions. It additionally makes use of AI to assist customers arrange profiles. Nevertheless, the app prohibits AI-generated profile pictures.
At present, Ahuja is working alone on Cheers and is concentrated on bettering the app earlier than selling it in new markets or hiring anybody. He plans so as to add paid options sooner or later however desires to attend till Cheers has reached 5,000 customers.
The app has garnered 150 signups to date, and new customers want an invite from mates to affix. It’s at the moment solely out there on iOS.
