/Companies

HER

AcquiredYC S15

San Francisco, US · Founded 2013 · Ohio LLC · 10 employees · 13 known investors

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HER is a dating app designed for lesbian, bisexual, queer, nonbinary and trans people that prioritizes safety, intentional connections, and community features. The platform provides identity expression tools, event coordination, and matching capabilities tailored to the sapphic community.

Also known as Bloomer, Inc. · Bloomer Inc. · HER App

ConsumerImpact & Social GoodMarketplacesSocialUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaFully Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S15)

HER was founded in 2013 by Robyn Exton.

RERobyn Exton
Robyn ExtonCEOBefore launching the dating and community app in 2013, she spent several years in brand consultancy, working in account management and new business development at Calling Brands and as an account manager at TAG. She also founded the London Queer Fashion Show.
SA
Shawn AdamsCFO and Treasurer of HER, Inc., the manager of HER, LLC
MM
Michael MahonEVP of HER, Inc., the manager of HER, LLC
HR
Harley Rouda, Jr.CEO & President of HER, Inc., the manager of HER, LLC
BBBrooks Burton
Brooks BurtonExecutive
CX
Chanyu XuFounder
VM
Victor Moreno AlhambraHead of Engineering
FW
Faye WhitlockRecruiter
TS
Tarcy SiqueiraRecruiter
TO
Tom OlixSecretary of HER, Inc., the manager of HER, LLC
LC
Laura CrystHead of Productformer

Investors · 13

500 Globallisted by 500 GlobalPalo Alto · $150K

How we know: open dataset · 500 Global portfolio 2026-08 · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

DreamcraftreportedCopenhagen

How we know: the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us

eFundreportedVancouver

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Exponent CapitalreportedLondon

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Four CitiesreportedNewton

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Tandem CapitalreportedMenlo Park · $500K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

WayrareportedMadrid · $54K – $5.4M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

WefunderreportedSan Francisco

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$245.8K disclosed across 2 rounds · 2015–2017

▶$207KraisedJun 2017 · 41 investors · Residential
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Harley Rouda, Jr.Promoter
  • Shawn AdamsExecutive Officer
Offering amount
$1.3M
Amount sold
$207K
First sale
Jun 2017
Incorporated
Limited Liability Company, Ohio
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$38.7KraisedJul 2015 · 6 investors · Residential
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Shawn AdamsExecutive Officer, Promoter
  • Tom OlixExecutive Officer
  • Michael MahonExecutive Officer
  • Harley Rouda, Jr.Executive Officer, Promoter
  • Brooks BurtonExecutive Officer
Offering amount
$50K
Amount sold
$38.7K
Minimum investment
$3.2K
First sale
Jul 2015
Incorporated
Limited Liability Company, Ohio
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

HER operates a mobile dating and social networking application aimed exclusively at queer women, lesbians, bisexual people, nonbinary people and trans users — a demographic the company describes collectively as the sapphic community. The app combines swipe-based matching with community features: an LGBTQ+ news feed, topic- and interest-based communities (more than 35 of them), and in-person meetups and parties that the company runs in about 15 cities internationally. HER positions itself as the first dating app built specifically around the needs of LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people rather than as an add-on to a mainstream heterosexual platform.

Profile tooling is a central part of the product. Users can specify pronouns, gender identity and sexual orientation, and add "Pride Pins" and "Political Pride Pins" denoting identity and social-issue affiliations, which can also be used to filter the feed. Additional profile attributes cover lifestyle factors and preferences around sex, kink and intimacy. Trust and safety is handled by a dedicated moderation team; users are encouraged to verify and authenticate accounts by linking existing social media profiles, and can flag or report accounts including scam, transphobic or impersonating profiles. A self-service help center covers onboarding, community guidelines, premium features, and privacy and safety.

The app is distributed on the Apple App Store and Google Play and is localized into multiple languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Thai, Japanese, Norwegian Bokmål and Portuguese. The Google Play listing identifies the developer as Bloomer Inc., located at 2261 Market St, San Francisco, California.

Business model

Freemium consumer app. HER states that all core features — adding friends, viewing profiles, chatting, browsing events and joining communities — are free and will remain free. An optional paid tier, HER Premium, adds incognito/ghost mode, profile rewind, visibility into who has viewed a profile, unlimited swipes, real-time online status, advanced search filters and an ad-free experience. The Google Play listing indicates the app contains ads and offers in-app purchases.

Subscription revenue from HER Premium plus in-app purchases and advertising, layered over a free core product.

Traction

The company reports more than 15 million members, over 300 million matches, thousands of marriages between users, and more than 35 active communities. Google Play records over 5 million downloads and a 4.4 rating across roughly 72,300 reviews; HER cites a 4.5-star App Store rating.

Latest developments

The Google Play listing was last updated in August 2026 and shows the app positioned as a broader LGBTQIA+ platform rather than a lesbian-only dating product. Company responses to 2025 store reviews indicate the removal of the Friend Requests feature.

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, risks & controversies

Market position

HER describes itself as the largest and leading dating app for lesbian, bisexual and queer women, citing more than 15 million members and over 300 million matches, and notes Apple Editor's Choice recognition between 2019 and 2023. Its Google Play listing appears alongside other identity-focused dating apps such as ROMEO, Surge, Gleeden and Muslima.

Purpose-built for LGBTQ+ women, trans and nonbinary users rather than adapted from a heteronormative product; extensive identity-expression options (pronouns, gender identity, orientation, Pride Pins and Political Pride Pins); community spaces and offline events alongside matching; a dedicated trust-and-safety and moderation function; and a commitment to keeping core dating functionality free.

Technology

Consumer mobile applications for iOS and Android supported by a multilingual web presence, matching and messaging infrastructure, interest-based community spaces, an in-app news feed, event listings, and profile verification via linked social media accounts. The app collects location, personal and financial data categories per its Play Store disclosure, encrypts data in transit and supports user-requested data deletion.

Go-to-market

Distribution through the Apple App Store and Google Play, supported by an SEO-oriented website with landing pages for many identity and interest segments, a blog and LGBTQIA+ resources including a glossary, plus offline community events and parties in roughly 15 cities. The company also runs partnerships and careers programs.

Queer women, lesbians, bisexual people, trans women and men, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people seeking dating, friendship and community; the app also markets to specific segments such as mature, Asian, Black, polyamorous, asexual and pansexual users.

Geography

Members in more than 114 countries, with the app localized into eight languages and events hosted in about 15 cities including Mexico City and Madrid. The developer entity listed on Google Play is based in San Francisco, California.

Risks & controversies

User reviews on Google Play cite onboarding and stability problems, difficulty completing profile setup and uploading photos, a short bio character limit, unintuitive community features, limited moderation of off-topic community posts, and the removal of the friend request function.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Active membersJan 202615,000,000 users
App Store ratingJan 20264.5 stars
Cities hosting HER eventsJan 202615 cities
Countries with usersJan 2026114
Cumulative matchesJan 2026300,000,000 matches
Google Play downloadsJan 20265,000,000 downloads
Google Play ratingJan 20264.4 stars
Google Play reviewsJan 202672,300 reviews
In-app communitiesJan 202635 communities

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 8

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HeyzapHeyzap operates a mobile advertising network that connects app developers with users through SDK integration on Android and iOS, offering monetization, app discovery, mediation, and cross-promotion services.
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EverymeEveryme provides a private social network where users share content with selected groups called Circles, which pull from their existing contacts and display posts in a private feed.
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Companies working in the same space as HER.

Timeline · 1

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2019
Apple App Store Editor's Choice (2019-2023)

HER states it was selected as an Apple Editor's Choice app for the years 2019 through 2023.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 2

corporate structure
Bloomer, Inc.
HEROhio

▸Research sources · 8

primary sources listed
  • HERweareher.com · web

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does HER do?
HER is a dating and community app for lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans and nonbinary people, with 15M+ members.
Who founded HER?
HER was founded by Robyn Exton in 2013.
Who are HER's investors?
HER's investors include 500 Global, Initialized Capital, Y Combinator, Better Ventures Central Llc, Catapult Capital, Dreamcraft, eFund, Exponent Capital and 5 more.
How much funding has HER raised?
HER has disclosed $245.8K raised across 2 rounds.
Where is HER headquartered?
HER is headquartered in San Francisco, US.