Thrill
In short: Thrill was an Indian mobile dating app founded in 2012 by Josh Israel and Devin Serago and based in New Delhi. In January 2015 People Group, the owner of Shaadi.com, bought about 25% and merged its Fropper dating site into it. Crunchbase lists it as closed. It matters as an early India-focused dating app backed by a matrimony operator.
Key facts
| Type | Dating app |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Status | Closed (per Crunchbase; closure date not found) |
| Website | thrillapp.com |
| Founders | Josh Israel and Devin Serago, who relocated from the United States to New Delhi to launch the app [Shaadi.com to pick 25% in dating start-up Thrill, 27 January 2015] |
| Founded | November 2012 (Inc42); 2012 (Business Standard) [People Group Buys 25% Stake In Delhi-Based Dating App Thrill, November 2012] |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India [Thrill - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding] |
| Investment | People Group, owner of Shaadi.com, bought about 25% of Thrill in a cash and stock deal worth close to $1 million (about Rs 6 crore); its Fropper dating site was merged into Thrill Applications [Shaadi.com takes 25% stakes in dating app maker 'Thrill', 26 January 2015] |
| Platforms | Android and iOS [THRILL Dating App, for all youngsters who felt the difficult, April 2014] |
| Business status | Listed as closed by Crunchbase; no closure date found [Thrill - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding] |
| Seed investors | Samir Bangara, Rajesh Kamat and Singapore-based Taurus Value Creation [Shaadi.com takes 25% stakes in dating app maker 'Thrill', 26 January 2015] |
About Thrill
Thrill was a dating app aimed at young people in India. It was founded in 2012 by Josh Israel and Devin Serago, who moved from the United States to New Delhi to build it. Inc42 gives the founding date as November 2012. The app ran on Android and iOS. A 2014 YourStory profile described a premium model in which users received a small number of free matches each day and could unlock more with points. Business Standard reported that women could ask men for an audio or video verification call as an extra safety step.
In January 2015, People Group, the Mumbai-based owner of the matrimonial site Shaadi.com, bought a stake of about 25% in Thrill in a cash and stock deal worth close to $1 million. As part of the deal People Group merged its own dating site, Fropper, into Thrill Applications, a subsidiary of Thrill. The company said at the time that the combined business was the largest online dating entity in India by users and revenue. Thrill also had earlier seed investors, including Samir Bangara, Rajesh Kamat and the Singapore-based Taurus Value Creation.
Crunchbase lists Thrill as closed and gives its location as New Delhi. This profile did not find a dated source for the closure. A Dating Industry Insights story of 3 September 2025 says Match Group bought a majority stake in Thrill in 2014. The sources found for this profile do not support that. They name People Group (Shaadi.com) as the investor, with a minority stake of about 25% in 2015, and none mentions Match Group. Editors may wish to review that line of the DII story.
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Questions about Thrill
What was Thrill?
Thrill was a mobile dating app for the Indian market, founded in 2012 by Josh Israel and Devin Serago and based in New Delhi.
Who invested in Thrill?
In January 2015 People Group, the owner of Shaadi.com, bought about 25% of Thrill for close to $1 million and merged its Fropper dating site into it. Earlier seed investors included Samir Bangara, Rajesh Kamat and Taurus Value Creation.
Did Match Group own Thrill?
The sources reviewed do not show this. They name People Group (Shaadi.com) as a 25% minority investor in 2015 and do not mention Match Group.
Is Thrill still operating?
Crunchbase lists Thrill as closed. No dated source for the closure was found.
What is Thrill?
Thrill was an Indian mobile dating app founded in 2012 by Josh Israel and Devin Serago and based in New Delhi. In January 2015 People Group, the owner of Shaadi.com, bought about 25% and merged its Fropper dating site into it. Crunchbase lists it as closed.
Where is Thrill based?
Thrill is based in New Delhi, India.
When was Thrill founded?
Thrill was founded in 2012.
Also known as: Thrill Applications, Thrill Pte Ltd, ThrillApp.
Sources
- Shaadi.com to pick 25% in dating start-up Thrill
- People Group Buys 25% Stake In Delhi-Based Dating App Thrill For About $1 Mn
- Thrill - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding
- Shaadi.com takes 25% stakes in dating app maker 'Thrill'
- THRILL Dating App, for all youngsters who felt the difficulty to date in India