Hinge founder raises $18M to kill the swipe with AI

hinge founder justin mcleod raised $18m for overtone, an ai dating service that replaces swiping with curated introductions. funded by match group and firstmark, the service uses voice and ai to create quality matches instead of endless feeds. this approach targets the 78% of users feeling burnt out, signaling a shift away from gamified dating mechanics toward higher-quality, ai-mediated connections. the company expects to launch later this year in select locations.