Shahzad Younas’s Muslim app that is dating 15,000 partners meet and acquire hitched. He informs Amelia Heathman about contemporary love
The expression goes: вЂMuslims don’t date, we marry’,” claims Shahzad Younas, creator and CEO associated with the Muslim matching software Muzmatch. “It’s a generalised expression but it strikes the nail from the mind. If I’m fulfilling a lady, we’re both reasoning, is this person wedding product?”
Muzmatch is oftentimes dubbed the Muslim Tinder but Younas just isn’t therefore satisfied with the contrast. It makes use of some typical dating-app structures, such as for instance swipes and likes, but rather of centering on casual hook-ups it’s all about helping Muslims find anyone to marry.
Numerous Muslims are required to marry young and also to somebody for the 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 a suitable partner. That he decided to create an app that would make the dating process more “halal” — acceptable in religious law so it was back in 2014, after hearing his friends swap stories about dating struggles.
Younas quit their task as a good investment banker and invested 6 months working 18-hour times to produce Muzmatch inside the room. 6 months after introducing, 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 happened to be like, OK, this is certainly real,” he said. The outcome talk on their own: Muzmatch has one or more . 5 million users plus some 15,000 partners have hitched after fulfilling upon it.
It produced title for it self outside of the Muslim community compliment of an advertising campaign that went regarding the Tube a year ago featuring Lionel Richie singing: “Halal, could it be me you’re trying to find?” The app ranks higher for downloads than the other religious-focused matching apps including JSwipe (Jewish) and Salt (Christian), according to analytics company App Annie, so it’s no wonder the big dating companies have come knocking in terms of competitors.
Younas won’t mention who, but states they have been turned by him straight straight down everytime. “We’re for a objective to transform how Muslims across the world think of marriage, and obtain married.”
Lots of work goes in making certain Muzmatch is really a space that is safe Muslims to chat and fulfill on the web. In 2016, the working platform introduced selfie verification to make certain everybody else in the software is whom they do say these are typically. The business features a group in Bangladesh which, alongside its HQ in Aldgate, manually moderates every profile.
Other privacy features are embedded. Users can request a chaperone be there in conversations in the application, such as for example a relative, as per an Islamic principle that whenever unmarried both women and men chat a alternative party should show up. Users also can guarantee they’ve no profile image on the 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 so we don’t desire to force individuals down a specific road. We should end up being the space that is safe offer top-level privacy to the users,” says Younas.
Security is vital for any other reasons. “We get lots of EDL kinds and people that are right-wing that you great deal of abuse — putting mail order brides up Bin Laden images and all sorts of that types of stuff,” claims Younas. “The positive thing is they get spotted quickly and eliminated so we can block those users in a permanent means.” From 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 some body from the software. “The peoples tales can be pressing. We’re wanting to tread that type of being available but faithful that is equally being our community. It’s a line that is tricky walk down but We think we’ve nailed it.”
Therefore what’s next? The start-up has accomplished profitability because of its premium paid-for tier nevertheless the stage that is next to continue to boost the application as well as its features, and expand the group and its particular reach. “Purely on a figures foundation, one-fifth worldwide is Muslim,” claims Younas. “On top of this, we estimate there remain 400 million Muslims that are solitary and qualified. We have a look 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 Valley-based accelerator Y Combinator – Younas participated within the programme back 2017 – also as Luxor Capital.
„Shahzad has demonstrably made a thing that individuals want,“ states Tim Brady, somebody at Y Combinator. „He is just a resourceful creator whom is hearing their users plus in the method is promoting an excellent solution for the Muslim community, in a manner that main-stream businesses have actually neglected to do.“
Beyond bringing individuals together, Younas also desires to change attitudes into the Muslim world to ensure that marriage is approached in a contemporary method. “My vision is the fact that whenever Muslims around the globe think of engaged and getting married Muzmatch pops into the mind — plus it is like a clear, non-taboo action to take,” he states. “I always think Muslims are five years behind the conventional, particularly when it comes to tech. Now it is time in order for them to get up.”