“Want People To Move Away From Swipe Culture” Juleo CEO Varun Sud On His New Dating App

Juleo, an app designed for singles, has announced it has raised $2.5 million in angel funding. The round saw participation from over 180 investors, including figures such as Ramakant Sharma, founder of Livspace, Kunal Shah, founder of CRED; Ruchi Deepak, co-founder of Acko, Leo Puri, former Chairman of JP Morgan India and Harsh Jain and Lalit Keshre, co-founders of Groww. 

Founded in 2023 by Chiranjeev Ghai and Varun Sud, Juleo aims to address issues within the online dating and matchmaking landscape in India. The platform is inspired by the traditional Indian matchmaker approach, emphasizing real-life interactions to provide a more effective and responsible solution for modern dating and matrimony.

Juleo's fundraising occurs as the Indian online dating market experiences rapid growth, making it one of the fastest-growing online dating markets globally. The number of Indian users on these platforms surged by an impressive 293 per cent over the past five years, reaching 82.4 million in 2023.

Founder and CEO Varun Sud shared the company’s vision around disrupting the online dating market in India in a conversation with Outlook Business.  

Edited excerpts 

Where will the newly raised $2.5 million funds be used? 

The newly acquired funds will be directed towards expanding the team, growth, and marketing efforts, which will help bring Juleo to our users. Dating app burnout and mental health issues sadly affect singles globally today.  

We intend to build a trusted club for people that provides them with a safe, trustworthy, and responsible service. We will soon launch our marketing campaign to drive awareness and reach our consumers as well. 

What is your revenue model? Is there a membership fee? How many users do you have currently? 

The revenue model will follow a membership fee subscription approach. We have just opened applications in the club and will wait to see the traction.  

What is Juleo's USP, given that many dating and matrimony apps already exist in India? 

Juleo is more of a social movement transforming into modern matchmaking. As the antithesis of swipe culture, Juleo introduces a brand-new product paradigm. It utilizes India Stack to ensure every member is verified through a government ID and video. Women’s profiles are private by default, protecting them from unwanted attention and allowing them to become visible only to men they are interested in. Male members benefit from avoiding endless swiping and the pressure of witty chatting, focusing their time and energy on women genuinely interested in meeting them.  

Members don't just match but meet quickly, either one-on-one or in small groups, in person or via video. The Matchmaking Genie curates profiles and arranges the first meetings, fostering meaningful connections. 

Since your USP focuses a lot on safety, how are you planning to ensure that users have their safety and privacy on the app, as this is one of the most sought-after features users look for while using dating apps 

Juleo ensures every member's government ID and video are verified using India Stack and conducts criminal record checks, excluding anyone charged with criminal offenses. Women's profiles are private by default, protecting them from stalking by nosy colleagues and relatives, and they can choose to be visible only to men they like. Members have the option to bring a friend or family member to the first meeting. The club enforces a Code of Conduct to promote safe and responsible behavior, and every member has a Trust Score. 

A lot of your focus goes on AI, how are you planning to leverage it into the app? 

While many are building AI boyfriends and girlfriends, we believe that real people need to meet, and an AI matchmaker can enhance that process. AI will be used in several areas (not all included in the first version): user segmentation to ensure you meet only your type, core matchmaking algorithms to identify patterns beyond human heuristics, combating spam and abuse to keep the platform safe, and providing relationship coaching. 

How are you looking at competing with the existing players in India? 

Juleo is nothing like the existing dating and matrimonial apps on the market. To clarify a few differences, as we have said above, safety is paramount, and no one will be allowed on the platform without government ID verification. Secondly, we believe in quality over quantity and want to move away from swipe culture; we will offer our consumers a few selected curated profiles. Thirdly, while other apps aim to match, we will optimize for first meetings (video or in-person) as the first steps in standing out with the other players.