Keeper, an AI-powered matchmaking startup, has raised $4 million in pre-seed funding to revolutionize the online dating landscape with its algorithm-driven approach to finding life partners. The October 2024 funding round was led by Lightbank and Lakehouse Ventures, with participation from Goodwater Capital and Champion Hill Ventures, among others.
Founded in 2022 by CEO Jake Kozloski, Keeper distinguishes itself from traditional dating apps by promising to deliver users their “soulmate” on the first match—or tell them upfront if no suitable match exists. “We’re saying we actually know who could be your soulmate or not,” Kozloski told Business Insider. “We’re not going to waste your time and pretend that a hundred thousand of these people could be. We’ll tell you no.”
The platform uses multiple layers of algorithms and AI models, including large language models (LLMs), to analyze potential matches. The process begins with non-AI algorithms that filter candidates based on basic criteria like age range, narrowing the pool to approximately 100 prospects. LLMs then perform the final analysis, trained on Keeper’s matchmaking insights and anonymized data from Stanford research partners. The AI evaluates factors including “general attractiveness” and specific physical attributes.
Since launching, Keeper has attracted over 1.5 million sign-ups, with approximately 300,000 active accounts. According to the company’s pitch deck, 10% of dates from its beta version resulted in marriage—a striking conversion rate that has attracted investor attention. Kozloski noted that investors “see AI as an inflection point in the dating app landscape” and an opportunity to disrupt established players like Tinder and Bumble.
The onboarding process is extensive, requiring users to complete an initial questionnaire covering standard dating app details plus unconventional data points like SAT scores, salary, net worth, and career ambitions. After the initial form, users complete 13 additional steps, including personality tests and philosophical questions about love. Keeper then curates profiles for users rather than allowing self-created profiles.
Currently, Keeper only serves heterosexual couples and employs human matchmakers alongside its AI systems. The startup has a controversial pricing model: it’s free for women but costs men $5,000 per date and a $50,000 “marriage bounty” if they get married through the service. The company has contracted $14 million in marriage bounties to date. Future plans include fully automated matchmaking with significantly reduced pricing ($250 per date, $5,000 marriage bounty) and expansion to serve LGBTQ+ users.
Key Quotes
We’re saying we actually know who could be your soulmate or not. We’re not going to waste your time and pretend that a hundred thousand of these people could be. We’ll tell you no.
CEO Jake Kozloski explained Keeper’s core value proposition, emphasizing how the AI-powered platform differs from traditional dating apps by being selective and honest about match quality rather than maximizing user engagement through endless swiping.
We use LLMs once we have your top hundred that our other algorithms have identified. The LLMs are trained on our matchmaking insights that we’ve learned so far, and so they can narrow down those last hundred and do the final pass of, ‘OK, who actually is worth offering among these.’
Kozloski detailed Keeper’s technical approach, revealing how the startup combines traditional algorithms with large language models to create a multi-layered AI matchmaking system that progressively narrows potential matches.
They feel like there’s a marriage crisis adjacent to the whole Elon Musk fertility crisis stuff that he talks about.
Kozloski described how Keeper’s values and alignment with the pronatalist movement attracted certain investors who view declining marriage rates as a societal problem that technology can help address.
We basically have to build a new algorithm for homosexual relationships, which we’re happy to do and we will do eventually, but for now, we want to get to product market fit with our core product first.
Kozloski acknowledged the platform’s current limitation to heterosexual matches, explaining the technical and business rationale while committing to future expansion—a statement that highlights ongoing challenges in building inclusive AI systems.
Our Take
Keeper represents both the promise and peril of applying AI to deeply personal human experiences. While the 10% marriage rate is impressive, it raises questions about selection bias—users willing to pay $5,000 per date may already be exceptionally committed to finding marriage partners, potentially inflating success metrics. The platform’s extensive data collection, including financial information and test scores, enables sophisticated matching but also creates significant privacy risks and potential for algorithmic discrimination. The gender-based pricing model and pronatalist positioning may limit mainstream appeal, but could carve out a profitable niche market. Most intriguingly, Keeper’s approach challenges the engagement-maximization model that has made dating apps profitable but arguably ineffective at fostering lasting relationships. If AI can genuinely predict compatibility, it could fundamentally reshape how people form partnerships—though the technology’s current limitations suggest we’re still in early experimental stages of algorithmic matchmaking.
Why This Matters
Keeper’s funding represents a significant trend in applying AI technology to solve complex human relationship challenges, demonstrating investor confidence that machine learning can outperform traditional dating app swipe mechanics. The startup’s approach reflects broader questions about AI’s role in high-stakes personal decisions and whether algorithms can truly predict romantic compatibility better than human intuition.
The 10% marriage rate from beta dates suggests AI-driven matchmaking may indeed offer superior outcomes compared to conventional dating apps, which have faced criticism for prioritizing engagement over meaningful connections. This could pressure incumbents like Match Group to accelerate their own AI investments or risk disruption.
However, Keeper’s model raises important ethical considerations about AI bias, data privacy, and algorithmic transparency in intimate decision-making. The platform’s current limitation to heterosexual matches and its collection of sensitive financial and academic data highlight ongoing challenges in building inclusive, responsible AI systems. As AI matchmaking becomes more prevalent, regulators and society will need to grapple with how these technologies shape relationship formation and whether algorithmic mate selection aligns with human values around love and partnership.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-dating-app-keeper-raised-four-million-pitch-deck-2025-12