Hinge Founder Raises $18M for AI Dating Service Overtone

Hinge founder Justin McLeod announced an $18 million fundraise for Overtone, his new dating company. McLeod stepped down from his CEO role at Hinge last year, and Hinge owner Match Group is helping fund Overtone alongside FirstMark Capital and Pace Capital. The move puts a familiar dating-industry founder behind a new model for how people might meet online.

Overtone describes itself as “a voice- and audio-forward service, enabled by AI, that provides highly curated introductions.” McLeod wrote that Overtone is “not a dating app,” framing it as an alternative to profiles, algorithmic feeds, and juggling likes, matches, and chats. The company’s stated approach is to learn about people in their own voice and make introductions it considers worth making.

The article places Overtone in a broader shift away from swipe-heavy dating experiences. A Forbes Health survey cited in the piece found that 78% of dating app users felt burnt out, with respondents reporting about 51 minutes per day spent on dating apps. Overtone’s pitch suggests AI could be used to narrow down promising matches rather than outsourcing the conversations themselves.

Overtone is expected to be available later this year, but only in certain locations. The company also announced that relationship expert Esther Perel has joined its board, along with Match CEO Spencer Rascoff and leadership advisor Diana Chapman. Key questions now include where Overtone launches, how its voice-first experience works, and how clearly it explains AI-driven matches to users.