SAN FRANCISCO, June 1 — A new dating app is looking to meme culture to match people up. It’s called Schmooze and it’s slowly spreading across college campuses in the United States.

In June 2020, Elon Musk posted on Twitter, "Who controls the memes, controls the Universe.” And Vidya Madhavan would seem to agree.

For a few months now, the entrepreneur originally from India has been working on a dating application based on humour. And, more precisely, memes.

How does it work? Through a "humour algorithm,” according to the words of the creator, who was profiled in a piece by TechCrunch.

The algorithm connects people who share similar tastes for derision and for the culture of memes, currently ubiquitous on social networks.

Initially developed as a way to build new friendships, Madhavan’s project truly became a dating app, targeting Gen Z in particular, when she saw that "people were really looking for a love match,” explains TechCrunch. 

So according to users’ biographies and their tastes for cooking, entrepreneurship or music, the application will suggest profiles. 

TechCrunch notes that "there are similar divides when it comes to dark humour, and people who really love puns — and those who hate them.”

After beta testing in the summer of 2020 on Stanford’s campus with 200 students, Schmooze has started to gain interest on a national level with more than 10,000 downloads.

Ulu Ventures and other investors have provided US$270,000 in funding to develop the app. — ETX Studio