Rivet, a new dating app launched last week, lets a random group of volunteers pick matches for users, giving self-described interfering busybodies free rein over strangers' love lives. Founder Taru Kapoor, a former Tinder executive, said the app “surfaces a lot of people that you may otherwise swipe past”.
How Rivet works
The app tells prospective daters who has been selected for them slowly, a few options at a time, rather than releasing all matches at once. The idea is to prioritise quality over quantity and encourage users to take a chance on somebody who isn’t their typical type.
“It’s very easy for most of us to look at a friend who may be dating the wrong person and ask: ‘Why?’” Kapoor said. “People also tend to be more objective and rational when they’re outsiders looking in on someone else’s life.”
Matchmaking experience
One couple that the writer matchmade got married, though they later divorced. The writer remains enthusiastic and attributes other failed matches to people not knowing what’s good for them.
The writer also described being the beneficiary of matchmaking, including by her own mother, who created a profile for her on Plenty of Fish without her knowledge. Her mother sifted through replies, selected a suitor, and went for a secret lunch with him to vet him before arranging a meeting.
