Indian-origin founder uses 'incredibly truthful' AI matchmaker to help singles find love

After stints at Bumble India and Stanford, Nandini Mullaji launched Sitch in December 2024 with co-founder Chad DePue, a tech veteran from Snapchat and Microsoft. (Image credit: @dini_inabottle/Instagram)

For Nandini Mullaji, matchmaking is more than a business—it’s tradition. The 30-year-old founder of Sitch, a new AI-powered dating app, grew up in Mumbai where her grandmother successfully matched family members. Now based in New York, Mullaji is blending cultural legacy with new-age tech to tackle what she calls “fundamental flaws” in modern dating.

After stints at Bumble India and Stanford, Mullaji launched Sitch in December 2024 with co-founder Chad DePue, a tech veteran from Snapchat and Microsoft. The app uses large language models to act as a “personal matchmaker,” trained on Mullaji’s own experience and even voiced by her, CNBC Make It reported.

Sitch promises daters a “personal matchmaker that’s actually affordable, and will introduce you to someone you will actually vibe with.”

Speaking about what inspired her to launch Sitch, Mullaji told CNBC Make It that during her time at Stanford, she discovered a major problem with modern dating: People were tired of swiping. Her own friends were “successful, good-looking, amazing women" but “were terrified of having to get back on the apps.”

Unlike swipe-heavy platforms, however, Sitch focuses on values and intent, she added. Users answer questions about past relationships and dating goals. Once five potential matches are found, the AI introduces them in a group chat—mimicking a friend’s setup.

The service, applicable in New York, charges Rs 7,900 to Rs 14,000 for packs of three to eight setups, positioning itself as a premium service for singles serious about meeting offline. Mullaji argued that paying users are more committed, and the AI helps avoid mismatches that waste time and emotional energy.

Despite concerns about AI hallucinations and missteps, Mullaji is optimistic. “It can go rogue,” she admitted, adding, “but these are things we’ll fix as time goes on."

Moreover, there is a big advantage of an AI matchmaker versus a human one. Mullaji said that unlike poeple, AI doesn't filter what they say. “They’re being so incredibly truthful,” she said.