Hood Pivots To Matchmaking, Renamed Knot.Dating

SUMMARY

Under its new name ‘Knot.dating’, the startup will use the “goodness of AI” to match people looking to find companionship

Hood is a social media platform which allows users to connect with others without disclosing their identity

This is the second rebranding exercise for Hood, which was founded as Zorro

After about four years of operating as a “pseudonymous” social network and raising over $3.2 Mn in funding, Hood has now pivoted to become a match-making platform.

Under its new name ‘Knot.dating’, the startup will use the “goodness of AI” to match people looking to find companionship. As per the platform’s website, it is “an exclusive, invite-only matrimonial service” built for India’s top-earning singles.

The website mentions that it will serve top 1% people from premium institutions like IITs, IIMs, BITS Pilani, MIT, among others.

“We’re not just building another matrimony app- Our focus is on working professionals who are serious about finding a partner who wants to take the lead in their own journey before involving their families,” Hood cofounder and CEO Jasveer Singh said in a LinkedIn post.

While details of how the matchmaking platform will be different from others are sparse, it claims that professional matchmakers will be responsible for matching people with other “high quality, vetted profiles to help the most accomplished get married”.

The website says that profiles will not be exposed publicly and will only be shown to those who match the preference criteria of the users. It currently shows a waitlist option for users to get an invite.

It isn’t clear as to what will happen to Hood, founded by Singh, Abhishek Asthana (known as Gabbar on X) and Deepak Kumar, going ahead. The social media platform seems to be active currently.

For the uninitiated, Hood is a social media platform which allows users to connect with others without disclosing their identity. On Google Play Store, its app has over 10 Lakh downloads.

This is the second rebranding exercise for Hood, which was founded as Zorro. Under the aegis of Zorro, the startup managed to raise $3.2 Mn in its seed funding round. Investors like 3one4 Capital, 100Unicorns, Eximius Ventures, Roots Ventures, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma, OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal, CRED’s Kunal Shah, among others, participated in the round.

The startup shot to fame in 2023 when it appeared on the second season of Shark Tank India. The founders’ sought an investment at a valuation of INR 600 Cr, and ultimately secured a deal from boAt’s Aman Gupta and Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal.

Knot.Dating will compete with the likes of Tinder, Bumble, Jeevansathi, Bharat.Matrimony, fluttr, among others, in the crowded dating and matrimony segments in the country.