A new Israeli dating app is seeking to disrupt the online dating experience. Lua replaces the standard headshots, which prompt users to swipe left or right depending on another user's physical appearance, with avatar characters.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Lua's inventors, CEO Roni Makatu and CTO Dor Kitenberg, aspire to create an experience that facilitates real conversations about users' worldviews and lifestyles. Makatu and Kitenberg believe that a community-style app will increase a sense of mutual responsibility and reduce the phenomenon of ghosting, which adds to users' negative experiences.
Currently beta testing with some 6,000 participants, Lua reports that a number of couples have already met using its platform.
Registration for the free beta version of the app, which is available on the Google and Apple stores, entails two main steps. First, users share their answers to questions such as "What kind of relationship do you have with money?"; "Tell me about something brave you did recently"; or "What's your tip for a great relationship?"
All app users are invited to answer, and potential dates can hit "like" on people they would like to get to know better. If two users are interested in each other, they can start chatting privately. At this stage, their phots are replaced with avatars they select. The developers hope that this will give greater weight to emotional connection and mutual interests and downplay questions of physical appearance.
"The world of dating apps, as we have known it over the past decade, is coming to an end," Makatu says. "The superficiality and separation they don't allow people to really meet."
Once the beta stage is concluded, they plan to launch an upgraded version of the app in major international cities, including London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Lua's upgraded platform will include suggested matches based on artificial intelligence (AI); collaborative sharing features; a matchmaking option; and workshops, events, and personal mentoring, both in-app and in person.
During the COVID pandemic, the global dating app market expanded rapidly. It is currently valued at some $7.5 billion and is projected to reach $11 billion by 2028. Lua aspires to have 250 million users on its app, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign in collaboration with Pipelbiz.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
