BUSINESS INSIDER – Startup 222, founded by Keyan Kazemian, Danial Hashemi, and Arman Roshannai, is building a different approach to dating by focusing on real-life interactions instead of swiping. It launched in 2021 as a dinner series in LA, matching strangers using AI after personality assessments, then grew into a company, joined Y Combinator, raised capital, moved to New York, and launched an app in 2024. The product matches people into small in-person experiences like dinners or nights out, then collects feedback to improve future matches and sets up follow-up dates if there is mutual interest. It has since expanded beyond first meetings into helping maintain relationships. In 2025, it raised another $10.1M, bringing total funding to $13.7M, and is now investing in tools that drive ongoing real-world connections, not just introductions.
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