Two Stanford dropouts, Celeste Amadon and Asher Allen, both 22, have raised over $10 million to launch Known, an AI-powered dating app based in San Francisco. The platform launched in mid-February with backing from Forerunner Ventures, NFX and Pair VC. Known eliminates swiping and uses voice-based AI interviews during onboarding to create detailed user profiles. The app provides one compatible match at a time with explanations for the pairing, then handles date logistics including location and timing. Users only pay $15 per confirmed date. The app has attracted thousands of Bay Area users, with 50% of matches converting to actual dates compared to roughly 1 in 30 on traditional platforms. Currently limited to San Francisco, Known plans to expand to Southern California later this year. The company aims to address what founders call a "loneliness epidemic" by facilitating meaningful in-person connections.

In its test phase in San Francisco, Known said it observed 80% of its introductions led to physical dates, which is much higher than swipe-based dating apps.