Shahzad Younas’s Muslim dating application assisted 15,000 couples see and obtain married. The guy informs Amelia Heathman about modern appreciate
the guy phrase goes: ‘Muslims don’t time, we marry’,” states Shahzad Younas, founder and Chief Executive Officer regarding the Muslim matching software Muzmatch. “It’s a generalised phrase but it hits the complete regarding mind. If I’m satisfying a woman, we’re both considering, is it person matrimony content?”
Muzmatch is oftentimes dubbed the Muslim Tinder but Younas is not thus pleased with the comparison. They utilizes some common dating-app buildings, instance swipes and likes, but alternatively of focusing on everyday hook-ups it is all about helping Muslims get a hold of people to wed.
Most Muslims are expected to get married young and also to anyone of the identical religion. Possibilities incorporate working with a matchmaker, which computer science graduate Younas defines as “like having your CV passed around” to locate an acceptable mate. So that it got in 2014, after reading their family change tales about dating struggles, which he decided to produce an app that could improve dating techniques more “halal” — acceptable in religious law.
Younas quit his job as an investment banker and spent half a year functioning 18-hour weeks to produce Muzmatch in the rooms. 6 months after initiating, the app had created the earliest matrimony.
“A partners have in touch to say ‘thank you, we have partnered due to your app’. I happened to be like, OK, that is actual,” he stated. The outcome talk for themselves: Muzmatch enjoys several and a half million people and some 15,000 people have got partnered after fulfilling on it.
It produced a reputation for itself away from Muslim society using an advertising venture that went about Tube a year ago featuring Lionel Richie performing: “Halal, could it be me personally you’re looking for?” With regards to competitors, the app positions higher for downloads as compared to various other religious-focused matching programs like JSwipe (Jewish) and Salt (Christian), relating to statistics business App Annie, therefore it’s not surprising that the top dating agencies attended slamming.
Younas won’t state which, but says he has got switched all of them straight down each time. “We’re on an objective to change exactly how Muslims all over the world contemplate relationships, and obtain partnered.”
Plenty of work goes in making certain Muzmatch is actually a secure area for Muslims to have a chat and meet using the internet. In 2016, the working platform launched selfie verification assure anyone regarding the software is actually just who they do say they truly are. The company have a team in Bangladesh which, alongside their HQ in Aldgate, manually moderates every account.
Other privacy services tend to be stuck. People can request a chaperone be there in talks regarding the app, such as for example a relative, as per an Islamic idea that whenever single people chat an authorized should really be current. Consumers also can verify they’ve no account photo on their profile or facts such as for example their unique full name, so they are able getting as exclusive on-line that you can. “It’s about knowing that Muslims are varied therefore we don’t wanna force group down a certain highway. We need to function as the safer area and provide top-level confidentiality to our people,” claims Younas.
Security is vital for any other factors. “We bring most EDL kinds and Right-wing men and women providing you with plenty of misuse — setting up Bin Laden photographs and all sorts of that kind of products,” says Younas. “The positive thing is that they have spotted rapidly and eliminated therefore can block those customers in a long-term way.” Throughout the upside, Muzmatch has non-Muslims registering because they are interested in learning the faith, these types of the 50-plus guy whom converted to Islam after meeting somebody on the software. “The real stories are quite coming in contact with. We’re trying to tread that distinct becoming open but similarly becoming faithful to our people. It’s a tricky line to walk lower but In my opinion we’ve nailed they.”
Therefore what’s after that? The start-up keeps attained profits owing to their advanced paid-for tier nevertheless the further phase would be to consistently increase the application and its particular properties, and develop the group and its get to. “Purely on a numbers foundation, one-fifth of the world are Muslim,” claims Younas. “On very top of this, we estimate you will find in 400 million Muslims who happen to be single and qualified. We evaluate that, and we’ve not even made a dent.”
To help Muzmatch in purpose, the start-up has actually now announced the near of a large Series a financing circular for $7m. Dealers integrated respected Silicon Valley-based accelerator Y Combinator – Younas participated inside programme in 2017 – plus Luxor funds.
“Shahzad keeps obviously generated a thing that group wish,” says Tim Brady, somebody at Y Combinator. “they are a resourceful creator that has been hearing their consumers as well as in the process has continued to develop an excellent provider your Muslim area, in a fashion that traditional agencies have failed to do.”
Beyond getting individuals with each other, Younas also wants to change thinking inside the Muslim industry in order for matrimony are approached in a contemporary method. “My eyesight would be that when Muslims all over the world remember marriage Muzmatch one thinks of — plus it feels like a clear, non-taboo course of action,” according to him. “i usually believe Muslims become five years behind the main-stream, specially when you are looking at technology. Today it is time to allow them to get caught up.”