Dating App S’More Raised $2 Million in Funding

Dating app S’More announced that it raised $2.1 million in VC funding, and plans to expand its team and create original content for digital platforms and TV networks.

According to Tech Crunch, the app has seen a boon in subscribers since the pandemic hit. S’More stands for “something more,” advertising that its platform for more serious daters. Studies conducted in the past few months show that COVID-19 has changed attitudes towards online dating, and that singles are now looking for relationships rather than hookups and taking their time by virtual dating before agreeing to meet in person. 

S’More has capitalized on this trend. The company just launched a redesign in January including a virtual chat feature which, similar to its profile photos, blurs the screen for participants until you get to know each other. (The more you talk, the clearer your date’s image becomes.) The app also added real-time conversation prompts and the ability for its users to pay to promote their own profiles.

Since the app launched in March of last year, it has gained more than 165,000 users and saw an increase of 20-30% in subscribers each month. After the debut of the redesign, the company has seen a 50% increase in subscriptions.

S’More also sees creative content as an integral part of its users’ dating app experience. The company had success with its celebrity dating show on Instagram, S’More Live, and has aired more than 60 shows. This focus on entertainment has led to a production deal with Elvia Es Oliva and Jack Tarantino to create original content that’s specific to dating but “anti-superficial,” according to Grit Daily. The producers worked on other dating shows like “90 Day Fiance.”

“We’re using that show to build our brand, to gain awareness and then … we’re actually able to leverage all of the viewers and retarget them with content from S’More, which has made our cost to acquire a user [very affordable],” S’more CEO Cohen-Asletai, who is a former Bumble executive, told Tech Crunch. 

He also told Tech Crunch that he was able to hire chief architect Long Nguyen, head of operations Sneha Ramanchandran, head of product and design Regina Guinto and senior developer David Lichy to expand his executive team.

The funding comes from a long list of investors, including Benson Oak Ventures, former Meet Group CEO John Abbott, former IMAX CEO Brad Weschler, Grit Daily CEO Jordan French (who profiled the company on its platform), and Dating Group.

The app is currently available in Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.