Sahil Ahuja
In short: Sahil Ahuja is the founder of Cheers, an invite-only iOS dating app that lets friends swipe and make introductions for users. A former Instagram engineer, he ran the app alone at launch in autumn 2024. Cheers started in New York City, according to TechCrunch. It matters to the industry as a small test of friend-led matching.
Key facts
| Role | Founder |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Cheers |
| Based in | United States |
| Website | cheersdating.com |
| Role | Founder of Cheers, a friend-matching dating app [Cheers lets you play matchmaker with friends, 24 October 2024] |
| Previous career | Worked at Instagram as an engineer for four years, then started web3 company Soho, which was sold to Sound [Cheers lets you play matchmaker with friends, 24 October 2024] |
| Team at launch | Working alone on Cheers; plans paid features after reaching 5,000 users [Cheers lets you play matchmaker with friends, 24 October 2024] |
| Launch format | Cheers launched as a New York City-focused, invite-only platform, initially focused on South Asian users, available on iOS [Is the new dating app Cheers the future of dating?, 2024] |
| Product description | Ahuja describes Cheers as Instagram meets Hinge; contacts can post and tag users, and friends can swipe on their behalf [Is the new dating app Cheers the future of dating?, 2024] |
| DII coverage | DII named him as Cheers founder; its 8 November 2024 story calls Cheers Seattle-based, which conflicts with TechCrunch (New York City) [Dating Industry Insights, 8 November 2024] |
Biography
Sahil Ahuja is the founder of Cheers, a dating app that puts friends into the matching process. TechCrunch describes him as a former Instagram engineer who worked at the company for four years. After Instagram he started a web3 company called Soho, which TechCrunch reports was sold to a company called Sound in 2023. He told TechCrunch that building Cheers had long been his aim, and that he wanted to gain experience at Instagram first.
Cheers launched in October 2024 as an invite-only app on iOS, with an initial focus on New York City, according to TechCrunch and Fast Company. Fast Company reported that the first audience was South Asian users. Users can add contacts to their profiles, and friends can swipe on behalf of people they know. Profiles work like an Instagram feed, with no tight limit on photos. Online Personals Watch, summarising TechCrunch, reports that users see three matches a day. Ahuja described the product to Fast Company as Instagram meets Hinge.
At launch Ahuja was running Cheers alone, and told TechCrunch he planned to add paid features once the app reached 5,000 users. Dating Industry Insights has covered the launch twice. One of its reports describes Cheers as Seattle-based, which differs from TechCrunch and Fast Company, who place the launch in New York City. This profile follows the TechCrunch account. A different Sahil Ahuja, listed on Crunchbase as founder of GMetri in India, is not the subject of this profile.
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Questions about Sahil Ahuja
Who is Sahil Ahuja?
He is the founder of the dating app Cheers. TechCrunch describes him as a former Instagram engineer.
What did Sahil Ahuja do before Cheers?
TechCrunch reports he worked at Instagram for four years, then started a web3 company, Soho, which was sold to Sound.
What does Cheers do?
Cheers is an invite-only iOS dating app where friends can swipe and make introductions for users, with Instagram-style profiles.
Where is Cheers based?
TechCrunch and Fast Company place its launch in New York City. A DII story called it Seattle-based, which conflicts with those reports.
What is Sahil Ahuja's current role?
Sahil Ahuja is Founder at Cheers.