Can AI find you love? DateSpot’s new acquisition might just prove it

DateSpot Inc., a tech-driven matchmaking service that pioneered the pay-per-match dating model, has acquired Sacramento-based ValleyMatch to integrate advanced artificial intelligence into its national network. The acquisition marks a significant shift in the online dating industry, combining AI matchmaking with a human-first, no-subscription model that aims to make finding a relationship more intentional and affordable.

Based in Mountain View, California, DateSpot launched in 2019 as the first matchmaking service in the U.S. to introduce pay-as-you-go dating—a model that removes the high upfront costs and lack of transparency traditionally associated with professional matchmaking. The platform also built a centralised dating network, connecting singles to multiple vetted matchmakers and clients across the country. By acquiring ValleyMatch, a boutique AI matchmaking startup founded in 2023, DateSpot is significantly expanding its reach and enhancing its core offering with automated compatibility tools.

Why is this acquisition significant for the dating industry?

The acquisition reflects growing demand for alternatives to conventional dating apps, which many users find exhausting, ineffective, or untrustworthy. According to a 2023 study by Pew Research Center, 45% of U.S. adults reported negative experiences on dating platforms, with issues ranging from fake profiles and scams to users misrepresenting key details like lifestyle, beliefs, and even their age.

By contrast, DateSpot uses verified video profiles and proprietary AI to ensure accuracy and compatibility. This includes tools that identify the optimal timing for outreach, suggest custom next steps, and assign a compatibility score—offering users a more personalized and authentic path to dating success. Users are also matched via a human-guided layer that helps screen for deeper values and relationship readiness.

The addition of ValleyMatch helps DateSpot further integrate AI matchmaking tools while opening its services to an even broader user base across and beyond California. With DateSpot’s nationwide presence—75% of its members are already located outside the Bay Area—ValleyMatch members will now gain access to more geographically diverse matches.

What does the ValleyMatch acquisition offer to new and existing users?

Through the acquisition, DateSpot clients will now benefit from ValleyMatch’s AI stack, designed to optimise dating outcomes through smart matchmaking analytics. The combined system expands not only the number of available matches but also the intelligence behind those matches. According to DateSpot, this new layer of AI-driven personalization helps users take more decisive steps toward building long-term relationships.

At the same time, DateSpot’s existing features remain a key part of the offering: in-depth video-based profiles, optional geographic expansion, love language and interest filters, and transparent pay-per-match pricing. Unlike traditional matchmaking services that can charge upwards of $10,000 with no refunds or guarantees, DateSpot allows users to cancel at any time and pay only when a match is delivered.

DateSpot positions itself as the “no-risk matchmaker”, aiming to democratize access to high-quality relationship support while ensuring the service is accessible to people who are serious about love but not willing to gamble thousands on blind dates or time-consuming apps.

Who are the people behind this matchmaking evolution?

Carla Swiryn, DateSpot’s founder and CEO, has been a professional matchmaker since 2014 and has previously worked at Google. Her efforts have led to hundreds of successful pairings, and she reports that 87% of users want a second date after their first match. Under her leadership, DateSpot continues to build a matchmaking ecosystem backed by behavioral insights and real-world dating data.

Swiryn says the new integration addresses a fundamental issue with online dating platforms—a mindset of endless options without emotional investment. She noted that many people are “half apping it,” referring to users who swipe passively without genuine engagement. In response, DateSpot verifies every match and prioritizes relationship-focused interactions.

ValleyMatch co-founders Rebecca and Loc Nguyen built their company with similar values. The married couple focused on modernizing matchmaking through AI and were praised for their personalised client care and strong ethical approach to dating services. Rebecca Nguyen will remain involved in a transitional role until at least August 1 to ensure smooth integration. She said that DateSpot was their first choice to carry their mission forward due to its network scale and cultural alignment.

Both Swiryn and Nguyen are “mompreneurs” who launched their matchmaking ventures around the same time they became mothers—balancing entrepreneurship and family while scaling customer-first platforms for romantic success.

How does this reshape the future of AI in dating?

The DateSpot-ValleyMatch merger is emblematic of a wider trend in the dating and relationship tech space: a shift from mass-market dating apps to hybrid AI-human matchmaking systems that are private, efficient, and results-driven. As the dating public grows more cautious of app fatigue, ghosting, and fake profiles, there’s rising demand for intentional matchmaking services that blend the best of data science and human empathy.

Industry observers note that AI’s role in dating is evolving from surface-level filtering to relationship prediction and journey optimisation—not just telling users who to date, but also when and how. This development is poised to create a new category of dating services that are more targeted, outcome-based, and grounded in psychological science.

For DateSpot, the expansion signals its ambition to become a leading national matchmaking platform—not just for elite clients, but for any relationship-minded individual seeking meaningful connections.