Former Hinge execs launch AI app to help people make plans with friends

Sam Levy and Tim MacGougan, former C-suite executives of the popular dating app Hinge, have launched an app that could finally help plans make it out of the group chat.

The Rodeo app, which was recently launched in a beta version on Apple’s App Store, promises to make “help friends be better friends with their friends,” Business Insider reports.

Users can share a social media post from Instagram or TikTok or upload a screenshot featuring an event, a restaurant, or any other activity they would like to do with their friends or family.

The Rodeo app then pulls out details about the place or activity using a large language model (LLM) to process natural language and decode context.

Levy told Business Insider that approximately 20,000 people signed up for Rodeo’s waitlist, with around 5,000 users onboarded to the early version of the app. A full launch is planned for 2026.

The startup, founded in 2023, has raised funds from venture capital firms, including 359 Capital and Oceans Ventures, as well as angel investors.

As frustration with online matchmaking grows – 78% of users report feeling exhausted by dating apps – online tools to make new friends or help cherish existing friendships are becoming a lucrative market.

For instance, Bumble introduced a BFF mode dedicated to making friends in 2023, which was later developed into a standalone app, Bumble For Friends.

The 222 app, launched in 2024, connects strangers through social experiences, such as group dinners and attending events.

More than half (54%) of American adults report signs of loneliness. The feeling is so widespread that the US Surgeon General declared a loneliness epidemic in 2023, comparing its harms to smoking a dozen cigarettes daily.

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