David Harrison
In short: David Harrison is the solo developer and founder of Ember, a dating app with live chat translation in more than 100 languages. He is a US Navy veteran and an economics student at Michigan State University. Ember is available in 177 countries and targets people seeking relationships across national and language boundaries.
Key facts
| Role | Founder and developer |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Ember |
| Founder | Built the dating app Ember independently, including its backend infrastructure and mobile apps [Global Dating Insights, August 2026] |
| Education | US Navy veteran and economics student at Michigan State University [Global Dating Insights, August 2026] |
| Launch | Ember is available in 177 countries, on Google Play with iOS pending review at launch, with live chat translation in more than 100 languages [Global Dating Insights, August 2026] |
| Role | Described by DII as the Michigan State economics student and US Navy veteran who built Ember [Dating Industry Insights, 31 August 2026] |
Biography
David Harrison is the developer and founder of Ember, a dating app designed for relationships that cross national and language boundaries. Global Dating Insights reports that he built Ember independently, including its backend infrastructure and mobile apps. He is a US Navy veteran and an economics student at Michigan State University.
Ember is available in 177 countries. At launch it was on Google Play, with the iOS version pending review, and the launch was timed with the start of the US academic year and the arrival of international students. Its live chat translation covers more than 100 languages in both directions in real time. Members appear on a world map rather than a local radius, and users can search across countries.
The app requires ID verification before a user can match with anyone, scrambles precise locations rather than showing them publicly, and offers an optional safety feature called Ember Assist that flags potentially suspicious conversation patterns without writing messages for users.
Ember is positioned for international students, people dating after moving to a new country and people looking for partners after returning home.
Career
- Founder and developer, Ember
Also mentioned in
Questions about David Harrison
Who built Ember?
Ember was built independently by David Harrison, a US Navy veteran and economics student at Michigan State University.
What makes Ember different?
It offers live chat translation in more than 100 languages and lets members search across countries rather than within a local radius.
Who is David Harrison?
David Harrison is the solo developer and founder of Ember, a dating app with live chat translation in more than 100 languages. He is a US Navy veteran and an economics student at Michigan State University.
What is David Harrison's current role?
David Harrison is Founder and developer at Ember.