Berkeley, Feb. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For a generation that lives on their phones, dating has somehow become more time-consuming and less social. College students swipe endlessly, juggle multiple chats, and still struggle to turn matches into actual dates. Ditto was created to remove that friction entirely. Today, the company announced a $9.2 million funding round to expand its iMessage-based matchmaker, which curates real, in-person dates for college students without swiping or small talk.
The seed round was led by Peak XV Partners with participation from Gradient, Scribble Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and Llama Venture.
Ditto founders Eric Liu and Allen Wang.
The timing reflects a broader shift in how young people view dating apps. Many students feel burned out by platforms optimized for engagement rather than outcomes. On swipe-based apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, users often spend weeks chatting without ever meeting, or abandon the process entirely. On average, it takes one thousand swipes on Tinder to lock in an IRL date. Ditto takes a fundamentally different approach by optimizing for one thing only: getting people on a real date. Instead of asking users to browse profiles or manage conversations, Ditto plans one date at a time and lets users decide whether to go.
How Ditto works.
“Our goal was to build something that actually helps people go on dates, not stay stuck in an app,” said Allen Wang, CEO and co-founder. “When you remove swiping and chatting, you remove a lot of the toxicity and anxiety that people associate with online dating. We plan the date, people show up, and real connections have a chance to form. 20% of our matches turned into actual dates.”
Ditto launched initially at UC San Diego and we went viral across sorority group chats and quickly expanded to UC Berkeley, USC, UCLA, and UC Davis.Ditto operates entirely over iMessage, where users already communicate daily. Users tell Ditto their preference for a date, such as ‘a 6 '2 hot nerd that brings me flowers’ or ‘an ABG who mastered leetcode’. After sharing their preferences and availability, users receive a text with a complete date plan, including the time, place, and details of their match, all centered around the campus they are near. After each date, Ditto collects feedback and incorporates these feedbacks into the user's profile to improve future matches. The result is a system that feels personal, efficient, and low-pressure, while removing much of the anxiety and inefficiency associated with modern dating apps.
Ditto is kicking off 2026 by hosting 10 yacht parties across the U.S. The idea was huge hit when launched in SF in October 2025.
The company was founded by Allen Wang and Eric Liu, two Berkeley undergraduates who saw friends spend hours on dating apps without forming meaningful connections. Despite having relationships themselves, none had come from dating platforms, even after trying nearly all of them. That disconnect led them to believe the business model itself was broken. Dating apps were monetizing attention and time spent swiping, not successful outcomes. Ditto was designed to reverse that incentive structure and focus on results.
Since launching, Ditto has grown to more than 42,000 users across four college campuses with over 25% of users coming through referrals. User feedback consistently describes the experience as efficient, safe, and genuinely fun. Some users report long, memorable first dates, while others value the opportunity to meet interesting people without pressure, even when a romantic connection does not continue. In several cases, users have recommended Ditto to friends because it limits choice, builds anticipation, and encourages people to give each other a real chance rather than judging profiles on a screen.
The broader social context has also shifted. Concerns around loneliness, mental health, and digital fatigue are rising, particularly among young adults. At the same time, people increasingly want experiences that lead to real-world interaction rather than more screen time. Ditto sits at the intersection of those trends, using technology to facilitate offline connection rather than replace it.
With this funding, Ditto is kicking off 2026 by hosting 10 yacht parties across the U.S. starting in Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day. The idea was huge hit when launched in SF in October 2025.The event matches college students on blind dates using Ditto’s algorithm. Each yacht will host 100 college singles, matched into 50 couples. This will be the biggest yacht party in college history. Ditto is co-hosting these parties with the hottest school clubs and Greek life organizations in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and more.
"Ditto is leveraging AI in a creative way to build a novel online dating experience -- one which resembles a true matchmaking service." said Vig Sachidananda, Partner at Gradient, "We've seen a great early response from users to this approach and we're excited to continue to work with Ditto as they expand to college campuses across the US."
Looking ahead, Ditto plans to expand beyond college campuses and eventually support other forms of connection, including professional networking and group social experiences. The long-term vision is to become a matchmaker for modern life, helping people turn intent into meaningful, real-world interactions, one plan at a time.
Media images can be found here.
About Ditto
Ditto is a matchmaker on iMessage for college students. Ditto learns about users’ information and preferences, then scans the entire pool to find strong matches. Ditto plans one date at a time for each user—the user simply decides whether or not they want to go. After every date, Ditto collects feedback from the user to improve future matches. For more information please visit https://ditto.ai/
For further information please contact the Ditto press office on press@ditto.ai
