# Voice-AI dating app Known: what its $9.7M round has bought so far > By Hayley Birkin | Published: 2026-11-07T03:01:52.86927+00:00 | Section: Financial | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/voice-ai-dating-startup-known-raises-9-7m-forerunner-nfx | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc) TechCrunch reported Known raised $9.7M from Forerunner, NFX, Pear VC and Coelius Capital for its voice-AI matchmaking app, now live in San Francisco. ## Key points - TechCrunch reported on 19 December 2025 that San Francisco startup Known raised $9.7M from Forerunner, NFX, Pear VC and Coelius Capital for its voice-AI dating app. - TechCrunch said the investment is Forerunner's first in a dating app; the round's stage, date and investor split were not disclosed. - Known claims 80% of introductions in its San Francisco test became in-person dates; co-founder Celeste Amadon later told KTVU members say yes 50% of the time. - Rival Overtone, founded by Hinge's Justin McLeod, announced an $18M seed round on 14 July 2026 with Match Group among its investors. ## Article - TechCrunch reported on 19 December 2025 that Known raised $9.7M from investors including Forerunner, NFX, Pear VC and Coelius Capital. - Known claims 80% of introductions in its San Francisco test led to in-person dates; KTVU later reported a 50% yes rate. - SFist reported post-launch pricing of free to join plus a $15 fee on committing to a match, compared with $30 per successful date in beta. - Rival Overtone announced an $18M seed round on 14 July 2026, with Match Group among its investors. TechCrunch reported on 19 December 2025 that [Known](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/known), a San Francisco voice-AI dating startup, raised $9.7 million from investors including [Forerunner Ventures](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/forerunner-ventures) and [NFX](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/nfx), along with [Pear VC](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/pear-vc) and [Coelius Capital](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/coelius-capital). TechCrunch said it is Forerunner's first dating-app investment. The round's stage, date and investor split were not disclosed, and DII has not seen an announcement from Known itself. The app has since launched: Fast Company covered its San Francisco debut on 1 February 2026, while KTVU reported a mid-February launch. ### The DII Take Known is aiming at the right problem: getting singles off the app and onto a date. But its headline number moved. The company claimed 80% of introductions became dates in testing, while co-founder Celeste Amadon later told KTVU that members say yes to dates 50% of the time. The sources do not say the two figures measure the same thing, and both are company claims. Investors have backed the thesis, not yet the data. ### How the product works, and what it charges Known replaces profile forms with a voice-AI conversation. According to TechCrunch, average onboarding ran 26 minutes, and one member's session lasted 1 hour 38 minutes. Matched pairs have 24 hours to accept an introduction and 24 hours to agree a date, which Known says is meant to prevent lingering chats and ghosting. Fast Company reported that Known does not save call recordings and that 7,000 people took part in a 2025 beta. At the time of the TechCrunch report, the company had three full-time engineers and four people on go-to-market, plus contractors, and the co-founders planned to add headcount with the funding. During its beta, Known charged $30 for each successful date, TechCrunch reported. > During its beta, Known charged $30 for each successful date, TechCrunch reported. SFist, citing KTVU, reported that pricing is now free to join with a $15 fee when members commit to a match. Known told TechCrunch it was not set on pricing and would test other payment models. ### Incumbents are watching, and investing Overtone, founded by Hinge's Justin McLeod, announced an $18 million seed round on 14 July 2026, according to its press release. [Match Group](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/match-group) (MTCH) is listed among its investors. Fast Company, citing The New York Times, reported that [Bumble](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/bumble) (BMBL) lost 9% of subscribers over the past year and Match Group 5%. TechCrunch noted that Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are also adding AI features. Watch whether Known publishes a verified date-conversion figure and settles on a price. Amadon told KTVU the app had thousands of users in the Bay Area, which is small beside the incumbents. - Known's $9.7M round, reported by TechCrunch, backs a small team that planned to hire, while the company is still testing how to charge. - Known has cited 80% of introductions becoming dates in testing and a 50% yes rate after launch; the figures may not measure the same thing and both are company claims, so operators should treat them as unverified. - Match Group's listed investment in Overtone's $18M seed round suggests incumbents are taking stakes in voice-led AI matchmaking as well as building their own AI features. **Sources:** [Overtone raises $18 million, press release (Overtone)](https://overto.ne/press); [Known uses voice AI to help you go on more in-person dates (TechCrunch)](https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/19/known-uses-voice-ai-to-help-you-go-on-more-in-person-dates/); [Every dating app has AI now. Can it help make better matches? (Fast Company)](https://www.fastcompany.com/91484596/every-dating-app-has-ai-now-can-it-help-make-better-matches); [2 Stanford dropouts raise $10M to change the online dating world (KTVU)](https://www.ktvu.com/news/2-stanford-dropouts-raise-10m-change-app-dating-world); [New AI-Run Dating App Based In SF Claims Half Its Matches Say 'Yes' to Real Dates (SFist)](https://sfist.com/2026/05/06/new-ai-dating-app-out-of-sf-says-half-its-matches-say-yes-to-real-dates/); [The founder of Hinge raised $18M to build a new AI dating service, Overtone (TechCrunch)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/the-founder-of-hinge-raised-18m-to-build-a-new-ai-dating-service-overtone/) ## Key takeaways - Known's $9.7M round, reported by TechCrunch, backs a small team that planned to hire, while the company is still testing how to charge. - Known has cited 80% of introductions becoming dates in testing and a 50% yes rate after launch; the figures may not measure the same thing and both are company claims, so operators should treat them as unverified. - Match Group's listed investment in Overtone's $18M seed round suggests incumbents are taking stakes in voice-led AI matchmaking as well as building their own AI features. ## FAQ ### How much did Known raise and who invested? TechCrunch reported on 19 December 2025 that Known raised $9.7M from investors including Forerunner and NFX, along with Pear VC and Coelius Capital. The round's stage and investor split were not disclosed. ### What does Known charge for its dating app? In beta Known charged $30 per successful date. SFist, citing KTVU, reported post-launch pricing as free to join with a $15 fee when members commit to a match. ### How does Known's voice-AI matchmaking work? Members complete a voice-AI onboarding conversation instead of forms, averaging 26 minutes per TechCrunch. Matched pairs then have 24 hours to accept an introduction and 24 hours to agree a date. ## In this story - [Known](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/products/known) (main subject) - [Pear VC](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/pear-vc) - [Coelius Capital](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/coelius-capital) - [NFX](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/nfx) - [Forerunner Ventures](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/forerunner-ventures) - [Match Group](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/match-group) - [Bumble](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/bumble) - [Justin McLeod](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/justin-mcleod) - [Celeste Amadon](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/celeste-amadon) - [Tinder](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/products/tinder) - [Overtone](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/products/overtone) - [Hinge](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/products/hinge) --- Canonical: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/voice-ai-dating-startup-known-raises-9-7m-forerunner-nfx Citation: "Dating Industry Insights" (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com)