Fundraising Fox
Hinge
New York, US · Founded 2011 · 8 known investors
Find your way into Hinge
Acquired by Match Group June 2018 · terms undisclosed · source ↗
Hinge is a dating app that helps people find relationships by having users build detailed profiles and answer prompts to spark conversations and matches. It focuses on facilitating real dates rather than maximizing app engagement.
Also known as Hinge · Hinge (app) · Secret Agent Cupid
Founders & leadership
Hinge was founded in 2011 by Justin McLeod.
Board
Investors · 8
How we know: open dataset · 500 Global portfolio 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Eniac Ventures's portfolio page · the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Forerunner Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Graph Ventures's portfolio page · the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Lumia Capital's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$17.5M disclosed across 1 of 2 rounds · 2014–2026
▶$17.5MraisedDec 2014 · 55 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Andrew DunnDirector
- Justin McLeodExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Tod FrancisDirector
- William LomickaDirector
- Offering amount
- $17.5M
- Amount sold
- $17.5M
- First sale
- Dec 2014
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2011
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Hinge operates a mobile dating application positioned around helping users find long-term relationships, marketed with the tagline that it is "designed to be deleted." The product is built around user profiles and prompts that give daters a sense of each other's personality and provide openings for conversation, with the stated goal of producing real dates rather than prolonged app usage.
The company states that its matching system is based on a Nobel-Prize-winning algorithm. It also runs an internal research function, Hinge Labs, staffed with researchers, behavioral analysts, and matchmakers who study daters and compatibility in order to inform product changes. Hinge maintains a careers function and a newsroom publishing press releases, media coverage, and press kits.
Business model
Consumer-facing dating application distributed as a mobile app download.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Competes in the consumer online dating app category, differentiating on relationship outcomes rather than time spent in the app.
Hinge frames itself against other dating apps by optimizing for effective dating rather than engagement or addictiveness, using profile prompts to give daters context and conversation starters, and applying internal compatibility research through Hinge Labs.
Technology
Matching is described as based on a Nobel-Prize-winning algorithm, supported by in-house research through Hinge Labs, which applies behavioral analysis and matchmaking expertise to compatibility and dater outcomes.
Go-to-market
Individuals seeking romantic relationships, including those looking for long-term partnerships and marriage.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 15
launches, deals, and filingsProgram aimed at mobilizing Gen Z to add more in-person connections to their lives.
Merchandise shop selling "destroyable" products such as bath bombs and s'mores, plus apparel and jewelry, tied to the "designed to be deleted" marketing theme.
Match Group confirmed it had fully bought out Hinge in the prior quarter and owned 100% of the app; terms were not disclosed.
Research unit created to study successful matches and refine the compatibility algorithm and other features.
Feature using the Gale–Shapley algorithm to recommend one daily match based on a user's likes and passes.
Match Group acquired a 51% ownership stake in Hinge, with the right to acquire the remaining shares within a year, in a move intended to diversify its portfolio.
Feature allowing members to privately confirm they went on a first date with a match.
Match Group made investments in Hinge as early as September 2017.
Feature released with the claim of reinventing online dating for people who missed the dating app craze.
The app was rebuilt from scratch and relaunched with a stated focus on helping people find relationships rather than maximizing engagement.
The Hinge mobile application launched in February 2013, positioned as a less superficial alternative to swipe-based apps. The company put roughly its last $25,000 into a launch party in Washington, D.C., which helped it secure additional funding.
Justin McLeod and a small team launched Secret Agent Cupid, a desktop service that let users connect to Facebook and list which friends they had crushes on; the project was turned into the Hinge mobile app in 2012.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Hingehinge.co · web
- Hinge founder turned down prestigious job offer out of business school to start $400 million-a-year app insteadcnbc.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Hinge do?
- Hinge is a dating app that aims to get users onto promising first dates rather than keep them in the app.
- Who founded Hinge?
- Hinge was founded by Justin McLeod in 2011.
- Who are Hinge's investors?
- Hinge's investors include 500 Global, Eniac Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Fortify Ventures, Graph Ventures, Lumia Capital, Red Swan Ventures, Slow Ventures.
- How much funding has Hinge raised?
- Hinge has disclosed $17.5M raised across 1 of its 2 known rounds.
- Where is Hinge headquartered?
- Hinge is headquartered in New York, US.