SMITTEN
Dating app Smitten has raised a $10M Series A from Makers Fund, Possible Ventures, Wonder Invest and current shareholders ByFounders, ProFounders, Tennin, and Smitten's board member and Vivino founder Heini Zachariassen. Smitten, the most popular dating app in Iceland and the second most popular in Denmark, will use the financing to grow its team and to expand to new markets as they woo Gen Zers with their fresh, gamified approach to dating.
“My co-founder, Asgeir, and I share an intense interest in how people connect and communicate,” says David Simonarson, Smitten Co-Founder and CEO. “After years of creating social consumer apps, we fell in love with the online dating space and launched Smitten in 2020. We created personality-based games and fun interactive profiles to make it easy for strangers to form meaningful connections. Seeing how much our users love Smitten, we believe we can become the leading player in online dating for Generation Z.”
Smitten is founded by David Simonarson, CEO, and Asgeir Visir, Designer, and was released by the founders and its CTO, Magnus Olafsson. Smitten mixes games, entertainment, and flirting to jumpstart conversations and help users engage more seamlessly. Smitten's fun and creative approach to dating has struck a chord with Gen Zers, proven by the app’s more than 200 million swipes to date and whopping 30%+ stickiness rate. Most dating apps leave people to convert a match into a conversation with awkward starts that lead nowhere. Smitten makes getting into a conversation as easy as swiping through use of games, interactive profiles and icebreakers. Smitten gets users into fun, quality conversations regardless of their conversation skills, and has found that more than 60% of Smitten matches result in a post-match interaction vs 11% on industry-leading app, Tinder*.
The key to Smitten’s post-match interactions are mini-games people can play on each other’s profiles. “Our questionnaire game, Guessary, allows you to get to know the other person you are viewing by guessing how they answered a series of Yes-and-No questions,” explained Asgeir Visir, Smitten Co-Founder and Designer. “You could be answering questions like ‘Have they ever been arrested?’ or ‘Do they like pineapple on their pizza?’ and you would get immediate feedback if you answered correctly or not. Another fun game, Lie Detector, is inspired by the age-old social game Two Truths and Lie, where people add three statements about themselves to their profile, and you have one chance to spot the lie. These games are designed for users to get to know the person they are viewing before deciding if they want to like them or not. And the beautiful part is when you match with someone, the results of the games are posted in the chat and act as an icebreaker, making it so much easier to initiate a fun conversation.”
“Social discovery and gaming is an increasingly interesting intersection, and the team at Smitten have created an amazingly fun experience that truly strikes a chord with young adults,” said Alli Ottarson, Makers' lead on the deal. “Having spent time building a strong relationship with the founders David and Ásgeir, we have been privileged to a front row seat to follow Smitten´s success. We share a common vision for how the next generation will meet and interact, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the Smitten journey."
To learn more about Smitten, please visit smittendating.com.
ABOUT SMITTEN
Smitten is on a mission to make the most fun dating app in the world. Through creative, unique profile games and entertaining content, Smitten transforms how people view online dating. While operating at the intersection of dating, gaming, and entertainment, Smitten gives its users superpowers by making it as easy as swiping to get into a fun and meaningful conversation. Smitten outperforms the industry-leading dating app regarding post-match interactions, with more than 60% of matches progressing to some interaction. Smitten is founded in Iceland by co-founders David Orn Simonarson, CEO, and Asgeir Visir, UX Designer. The seasoned duo has been working together creating social apps to connect people for the past ten years. The team's mission is to create the most fun dating app in the world.
*per research at https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.01952
About Makers Fund
Makers Fund is a global interactive entertainment venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments. Makers is dedicated to furthering growth and innovation in the interactive entertainment industry. With more than 90 portfolio companies to date, Makers provides founders strategic value that is deeply catered to companies across the value chain in the industry. For more information, visit makersfund.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005317/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Andersen Consulting udvider sit udbud med LBC12.12.2025 11:09:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting styrker sine kompetencer gennem en samarbejdsaftale med LBC, en Portugal-baseret international virksomhed kendt for sin integrerede tilgang til forretningsoptimering, digital transformation og udvikling af menneskelig kapital, der kombinerer kreativitet og menneskelig etik med ai med henblik på at accelerere værdiskabelse. LBC blev stiftet i 2001 og bistår internationale organisationer, offentlige instanser og virksomheder inden for adskillige brancher, herunder finans, energi, TMT, transport og den offentlige sektor. LBC betjener kunder i Afrika, Nord- og Sydamerika samt Europa og leverer ydelser inden for management consulting, digital transformation, kapacitetsopbygning og ai-implementering. Virksomheden er kendt for en kultur præget af innovativ transformation med fokus på vedvarende resultater og hjælper kunder med at navigere i komplekse forandringer med målbar effekt. Nylige investeringer i enterprise AI styrker virksomhedens kompetencer inden for UX/UI, auto
INNIO to Supply Technology for a Landmark Project in Texas, Reinforcing Grid Stability12.12.2025 09:59:00 CET | Press release
INNIO Group, a leading energy solution and service provider, is collaborating with the U.S. power utility Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS) on a landmark 104-megawatt (MW) power plant. The new plant is designed to help reinforce grid stability, cover peak loads, and enable greater integration of renewable energy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211712708/en/ Jenbacher J920 FleXtra “This project is a milestone for Texas and for INNIO. With fast-start capability, flexibility, and sustainability, we are creating the energy infrastructure that modern grids need: reliable, growth-promoting, and supporting the expansion of renewables,” said Dr. Olaf Berlien, President and CEO of INNIO Group. Groundbreaking for the plant’s construction took place in early December, with commissioning scheduled for summer 2027. The groundbreaking marks the beginning of the largest installation to date of Jenbacher J920 FleX
Kioxia Develops Core Technology that Will Allow the Practical Implementation of High-density, Low-power 3D DRAM12.12.2025 06:24:00 CET | Press release
Showcase the technology of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the development of highly stackable oxide-semiconductor channel transistors that will enable the practical implementation of high-density, low-power 3D DRAM. This technology was presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, USA, on December 10, and has the potential to reduce power consumption across a wide range of applications, including AI servers and IoT components. In the era of AI, there is growing demand for DRAM with larger capacity and lower power consumption that can process large amounts of data. Traditional DRAM technology is reaching the physical limits of memory cell size scaling, prompting research into the 3D stacking of memory cells to provide additional capacity. The use of single-crystal silicon as the channel material for transistors in stacked memory cells, as is the
Andersen Global styrker sine juridiske kapaciteter med tilføjelsen af brasiliansk medlemsfirma11.12.2025 18:49:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Global udbygger sin juridiske platform i Brasilien, da Lotti e Araújo bliver et medlemsfirma, hvilket styrker organisationens kapacitet i Latinamerika. Lotti e Araújo blev stiftet for over 20 år siden og tilbyder omfattende juridisk rådgivning til brasilianske og multinationale klienter inden for en lang række brancher. Dets tværfaglige praksis omfatter selskabsret, skatteret, arbejdsret, retssager, inkasso og inddrivelse af gæld – samt specialiseret arbejde med at identificere skjulte aktiver og inddrive anke- og retsindskud i ældre sager. Firmaet håndterer også voldgift, forvaltningsret, udenlandske investeringer, fast ejendom, intellektuel ejendomsret, databeskyttelse og virksomhedsomstrukturering og tilbyder juridisk assistance inden for selskabsdannelse og repræsentation over for tilsynsmyndigheder. Teamet rådgiver klienter om forebyggende juridiske strategier og komplekse tvister for administrative organer og domstole i Brasilien. "Hos Lotti e Araújo bygger vores praksis
BEYOND Developments Reveals a New Vision for Purposeful Living on Dubai Islands with SIORA11.12.2025 18:02:00 CET | Press release
A 2M sqft masterplan inspired by Japanese garden principles, crafted around balance, clarity, and the quiet rhythm of coastal life BEYOND Developments, the bold and design-led real estate developer shaping next-generation waterfront destinations in the UAE, today unveiled SIORA, its first beachfront masterplan on Dubai Islands and the company’s second large-scale community within a year. The launch underscores BEYOND’s accelerated growth and strong alignment with Dubai’s future urban vision. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211014389/en/ BEYOND Developments - SIORA Masterplan at sunset - Dubai Islands (Photo: AETOSWire) Spanning over 2M square feet, SIORA is conceived as a coastal sanctuary inspired by Japanese garden philosophies, including the pursuit of Ikigai, the Japanese concept of finding purpose and fulfilment in everyday life. In this context, it reflects a philosophy of creating spaces that bring c
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom