Category: Pheramor

Matchmaking Based on “DNA Compatibility”

Posted on February 13, 2020

Instantchemistry logoSCIENTIFIC AMERICAN – Feb 13 – Genetic matchmaking is entering the mainstream. Earlier this year, Nozze, a Japanese dating service, established a DNA Matching Course and hosted a related DNA Matching Party. For 86,400 yen ($790), men are paired with prospective dates based upon 16K variations in HLA gene complexes. There is also Swiss pioneer GenePartner, Houston-based Pheramor and services that combine genetic and non-genetic profiles like Instant Chemistry and SingldOut. Since the 1970s, researchers have found that variations in the genes of the major histocompatability complex (MHC) play a role in mate selection in mice. Swiss biologist Claus Wedekind did a study known as the sweaty T-shirt study. Researchers had men wear T-shirts for extended periods of time. Then they had women sniff the shirts to rate the former wearer's sexual attractiveness. They found an inverse correlation between MHC similarity and attraction score. Harvard geneticist George Church has championed another version of compatibility. Using whole genome sequencing, he hopes to match couples to reduce or eliminate many inherited diseases.

by Mira Michels-Gualtieri & Jacob M. Appel
See full article at Scientific American

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OPW Podcast – The Top Dating Industry News for Dec 10th

Posted on December 10, 2019

Opw tmtOPW – Dec 10 – IDEA SUMMIT, Social Safety Badge, Pheramor shuttered, Gleeden not illegal, Lumen ads banned

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW’s Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor or Stitcher.

Pheramor, the DNA Dating Startup, Shuts Down

Posted on December 6, 2019

Pheramor logoINNOVATION MAP – Dec 5 – Brittany Barreto has teamed up with Bin Huang to start a dating app, called Pheramor, that factored in user DNA. They raised millions for the company, hired a team from across the country, and signed up users in all 50 states. Though, Pheramor's growth came to a sudden stop this year when Apple pulled the app from its store, and there was nothing the founders or their investors could do about it. "They are gatekeepers in innovation," Barreto learned the hard way. Barreto got a call from an Apple representative explaining that the her app had been pulled from the store. New App Store rules forbid dating apps from procuring DNA samples from users. Once the DNA element was removed from the app, Pheramor would be allowed back on, Barreto was told. "That was our differentiator," she says. For the next three weeks, Barreto called every app reviewer at Apple and challenged each "no" she got. Her request went to the very top, before receiving one final, inarguable "No." Barreto paid back investors by ~5%. She also realized the difference of working with investors who are new to the process. "I learned a lesson of taking money from people who are not experienced investors will cause you headaches along the way," she says.

by Natalie Harms
See full article at Innovation Map

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The Questionable Science Behind DNA Testing Kits

Posted on June 3, 2019

Dna testWIRED.CO.UK – June 1 – A new wave of DNA-based products claim they can tell people what to eat (Nutria), what cosmetics to buy (SkinGenie), and what wine they'll like (Vinome). BabyGlimpse allows couples to upload their data and preview what their child might look like. DNA dating app Pheramor pairs users with prospective partners based on the content of their chromosomes. But scientists are doubtful about their accuracy. People may think they're getting their entire genome sequenced, but that's not usually the case. Instead of crunching through all 30M letters on 23 pairs of chromosomes, these tests look for a handful of common specific markers that vary between people, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). But one SNP on its own is not enough to have sweeping effects on what food people should be eating, or what wine they'll like.

by Amit Katwala
See full article at Wired

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DNA Romance – DNA-driven Dating Startup

Posted on February 16, 2019

Dnaromance logoGEEKWIRE – Feb 15 – DNA Romance is a Vancouver, B.C.-based startup that launched in 2014. It generates potential matches based on a DNA analysis of genes involved with immune system response that research has connected to human attraction. People can use a kit purchased from DNA Romance to sample and create their genetic blueprint, or share their results from one of the other DNA sequencing companies. The startup has raised $120K from friends and family and has customers in 93 countries. Their business model was initially subscription based, but in the fall they shifted to selling home DNA testing kits and online advertising to generate revenue. The kits cost $74.75. DNA Romance is available online, with plans to develop mobile apps. Competitors in the DNA-assisted dating space include Pheramor, GenePartner and Instant Chemistry.

by Lisa Stiffler
See fll article at Geekwire

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What Will Online Dating Be Like in 2030?

Posted on February 14, 2019

Machine learning1MASHABLE – Feb 14 – Online dating isn't going away any time soon. If anything, it's likely to become further integrated into even more people's lives. "Online daters are exhausted," said Dawoon Kang, co-founder and co-CEO of Coffee Meets Bagel. "Machine-learning and AI may be able to help. People, a lot of times, don't know what they want. Better machine-learning could tailor your matches to your actions, rather than your stated desires", Kang said. Loveflutter, a UK dating app, has AI that matches people based on personality traits it decodes from their tweets. It also plans to use AI to coach users through meeting offline after analyzing their chats. Jean Meyer, the founder and CEO of European dating app Once, doesn't think the dating industry will crack the AI code. "The optimum for a dating service is to show you profiles of people that might be good enough, but not perfection," Meyer said. Pheramor, DNA Romance, and Instant Chemistry all analyze users' DNA to make matches. Video will play a larger role in dating apps, execs said, but how, exactly, is still unclear. Virtual reality in dating apps will also take cultural change.

by Brittany Levine Beckman
See full article at Mashable

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Houston-based Dating App Pheramor Is Going Nationwide

Posted on January 30, 2019

Pheramor logoCHRON – Jan 30 – Founded in February 2018, the DNA dating app is now expanding its matchmaking services nationwide. For $29.99, Pheramor ships singles a DNA Kit. Then, users swab their cheeks and return it to the company in the mail. Once received, Pheramor sequences 11 genes allegedly linked to attraction to determine biological compatibility. The app then sends them three potential mates in their area, daily, with profile photos blurred. Profiles also include a score, between zero and 100, grading the likelihood of love connection.

by Marcy de Luna
See full article at Chron

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Pheramor’s Success Will Probably Be Driven By Data, Not DNA

Posted on March 7, 2018

Pheramor logoINVERSE.COM – Mar 7 – Pheramor, a new dating app, is promising to find its members a perfect match, using a cheek swab of their DNA and a lot of their data. The app launched in Houston at the end of February. After signing up at $10 a month, users mail in a $16 cheek swab kit. Pheramor says it then sequences 11 genes related to attraction in order to help pair them with their best match. Theres just one problem: Human pheromones have never been proven to attract us to each other. In fact, they might not even exist. Scientists have actually been arguing over the legitimacy of pheromones for decades. A study published as recently as 2017 in Royal Society Open Science found that participants exposed to steroids containing what's generally believed to be a human pheromone experienced zero increased levels of attraction. Pheramor's founder Asma Mirza argues: "People hear the word pheromones and they think that that's what we're doing, but that’s not what we're doing.” Rather, Mirza says Pheramor pairs users with others whose genes are different from their own. A few studies have shown that, when it comes to attraction, humans appear to naturally gravitate toward those with a small set of genes that vary from their own. The thinking is that we are more drawn to people who we are less related to because of our deep-seated distaste for incest. The app also gathers more information the more users use it.

by Grace Lisa Scott
See full article at Inverse.com

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Summarized by the IDEA team

With This DNA Dating App, You Swab, Then Swipe For Love

Posted on February 28, 2018

Pheramor logoWIRED – Feb 28 – Pheramor is a Houston-based online dating startup that claims to use DNA as the secret sauce in its matchmaking formulation. The company launched today, with plans to soon expand to other US cities. Its app is a sort of "23andMe meets Tinder meets monogamists." For $19.99 (plus a $10 monthly membership fee), Pheramor will ship users a kit to swab their cheeks, which they then send back for sequencing. The company will combine that information with personality traits and interests from their profile with genetically and socially optimized potential mates in their area.

by Megan Molteni
See full article at Wired

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Summarized by the IDEA team

Pheramor Is A New DNA-Based Dating Site

Posted on February 4, 2018

Pheramor logoACSH.ORG – Feb 4 – Pheramor is a new tech start-up, based on Houston. It believes that genetic analysis provides the best path to matchmaking. Pheramor contends that sequencing 11 genes associated with pheromones – which are believed to switch on sexual attraction – will produce a better match. The company combines users DNA data with their overall social media footprint to build their dating profile, creating an algorithm that predicts compatibility based on their attraction, personality and social media. Pheramor collects users DNA by sending them a kit.

by Erik Lief
See full article at ACSH.org

Summarized by the IDEA team