Muzmatch: the app that is dating the way in which Muslims find love
Shahzad Younas’s Muslim app that is dating 15,000 partners meet and obtain hitched. He informs Amelia Heathman about contemporary love
The expression goes: вЂMuslims don’t date, we marry’,” claims Shahzad Younas, creator and CEO of this Muslim matching software Muzmatch. “It’s a generalised expression but it strikes the nail in the mind. If I’m fulfilling a lady, we’re both reasoning, is this individual marriage product?”
Muzmatch can be dubbed the Muslim Tinder but Younas isn’t therefore satisfied with the contrast. It makes use of some typical structures that are dating-app such as for instance swipes and likes, but rather of targeting casual hook-ups it’s all about assisting Muslims find someone to marry.
Numerous Muslims are required to marry young and also to some body of this faith that is same. Choices consist of dealing with a matchmaker, which computer technology graduate Younas defines as “like getting your CV passed around” to locate an appropriate partner. Therefore it had been back 2014, after hearing their buddies swap tales about dating battles, he made a decision to produce an software that will make the dating process more “halal” — acceptable in religious legislation.
Younas quit their task as a good investment banker and invested 6 months working 18-hour days to produce Muzmatch in the room. 6 months after establishing, the application had produced its very first wedding.
“A few got in contact to express вЂthank you, we got hitched due to your app’. I became like, OK, this will be real,” he said. The outcome talk on their own: Muzmatch has one or more . 5 million people plus some 15,000 couples ‘ve got hitched after fulfilling about it.
It produced title it me you’re in search of? for it self away from Muslim community compliment of an advertisement campaign that went in the Tube this past year featuring Lionel Richie singing: “Halal, is” In terms of rivals, the application ranks greater for packages compared to other religious-focused matching apps including JSwipe (Jewish) and Salt (Christian), relating to analytics business App Annie, so it’s no wonder the major relationship organizations came knocking.
Younas won’t mention who, but states he has turned them straight straight down everytime. “We’re on an objective to change how Muslims across the world think of marriage, and obtain married.”
Plenty of work switches into making sure Muzmatch is just a safe room for Muslims to talk and satisfy on line. In 2016, the working platform introduced selfie verification to make certain everybody regarding the application is who they do say they’ve been. The organization possesses united group in Bangladesh which, alongside its HQ in Aldgate, manually moderates every profile.
Other privacy features are embedded. Users can request a chaperone show up in conversations regarding the software, such as for example a member of the family, as per an Islamic principle that after unmarried both women and men chat a party that is third be there. Users may also make sure they’ve no profile image to their account or details such as for instance their name that is full they may be as personal online as you possibly can. “It’s about comprehending that Muslims are incredibly diverse and then we don’t like to force individuals down a road that is particular. We should function as space that is safe offer top-level privacy to your users,” says Younas.
Security is paramount for any other reasons. “We get lots of EDL kinds and people that are right-wing that you great deal of abuse — putting up Bin Laden photos and all sorts of that sort of stuff,” claims Younas. “The positive thing is they get spotted quickly and eliminated so we can block those users in a permanent means.” Regarding the upside, Muzmatch comes with non-Muslims registering as they are interested in the faith, such the man that is 50-plus transformed into Islam after fulfilling somebody regarding the software. “The peoples tales can be pressing. We’re wanting to tread that type of being open but faithful that is equally being our community. It’s a tricky line to walk down but We think we’ve nailed it.”
So what’s next? The start-up has accomplished profitability because of its premium paid-for tier however the next phase is to keep to enhance the app and its particular features, and expand the group as well as its reach. “Purely on a figures foundation, one-fifth worldwide is Muslim,” claims Younas. “On top of this, we estimate there are about 400 million Muslims who will be solitary and qualified. We glance at that, and we’ve not really produced dent.”
The start-up has today announced the close of a big Series A funding round for $7m to help Muzmatch in its mission. Investors included respected Silicon accelerator that is valley-based Combinator – Younas participated within the programme back 2017 – also as Luxor Capital.
“Shahzad has plainly made a thing that individuals want,” claims Tim Brady, someone at Y Combinator. “He is a founder that is resourceful happens to be hearing their users as well as in the method has continued to develop an excellent solution for the Muslim community, in a fashion that conventional organizations have actually didn’t do.”
Beyond bringing individuals together, Younas additionally would like to alter attitudes within the Muslim world in order for marriage is approached in a way that is modern. “My vision is the fact that whenever Muslims across the world think of engaged and getting married Muzmatch pops into the mind — and it also is like an evident, non-taboo move to make,” he states. “I always think Muslims are five years behind the main-stream, specially when it comes down to technology. Now it is time in order for them to get caught up.”
