Cerca Reveals How Gen Z Actually Dates at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
▼ Summary
– Myles Slayton and his co-founders created Cerca, a dating app that matches users exclusively with people already in their social circles to address Gen Z’s distrust of strangers.
– The app has gained 60,000 users primarily in New York and universities and secured $1.6 million in seed funding this summer.
– Cerca’s design eliminates fear of rejection by keeping all likes anonymous and limits users to four swipes daily to combat swiping fatigue.
– Safety features include showing mutual friends first, allowing contact filtering, blocking screenshots, and enabling users to vet dates through shared connections.
– The company will showcase its technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 after being selected for Startup Battlefield to increase visibility.
Finding a meaningful connection in today’s dating world often feels like an uphill battle, no matter where you are. Cerca, a new dating app created by Gen Z for Gen Z, aims to change that by focusing on social connections rather than endless swiping. The platform addresses widespread frustrations with existing apps by leveraging mutual friends to build trust and reduce the anxiety of meeting strangers online.
Myles Slayton, one of Cerca’s founders, observed firsthand how difficult modern dating can be while interning in New York City. He noticed that he and his peers spent excessive time on their phones yet struggled to form genuine relationships through dating apps. Slayton concluded the issue wasn’t dating apps themselves, but their outdated design. Most popular platforms were built with millennials in mind, while Gen Z prefers a more organic approach, meeting potential partners through shared social circles, much like dating worked in the past.
Together with co-founders Willy Conzelman and Carter Munk, Slayton launched Cerca just a few months ago. The app connects users exclusively with people already in their extended social networks. After announcing a $1.6 million seed round this summer, Cerca has quickly gained traction, attracting roughly 60,000 users concentrated in New York and various university campuses. The startup is set to showcase its technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco as part of the Startup Battlefield competition.
Slayton, who serves as CEO, points to the internet and the COVID-19 pandemic as key reasons Gen Z has shifted toward trusted social connections. “We simply don’t trust strangers,” he explained, noting that fear of rejection also plays a major role. Cerca’s design directly confronts these concerns. Users build a standard dating profile and sync their contacts; the app then only shows potential matches who are friends or friends of friends. This setup removes the fear of interacting with complete strangers. All likes are anonymous to minimize the sting of rejection, and users receive just four swipes per day to combat swiping fatigue and encourage more thoughtful decisions.
“There is no world where you should be seeing 100 profiles in a minute,” Slayton emphasized. “You should really be taking a second to think about each profile. These are real people.”
Profiles on Cerca are structured to prioritize connection over appearance. They first display mutual friends, then background information, and finally photos. When someone likes a profile, the recipient receives a notification without knowing the admirer’s identity. Cerca’s algorithm then boosts the admirer’s profile into the feed of the person they liked. If the interest is mutual, a match is revealed each evening, with neither party aware of who initiated the connection.
Safety is another cornerstone of the Cerca experience. Shared friends make it easy to vet potential dates by simply texting a mutual contact for background information. Users maintain control over which contacts they share with the app and can block specific individuals from viewing their profile. The platform also allows filtering by keywords, such as “dentist” or “doctor,” and prohibits screenshotting or screen recording to protect user privacy.
Beyond the digital experience, Cerca has expanded into merchandise and hosts in-person events to foster community. Slayton and his co-founders were motivated to join Startup Battlefield by a previous participant’s positive experience. “I think it’s such an opportunity to have the U.S. and the world see who we are and to represent dating in a positive light,” he said.
For those interested in learning more about Cerca and other innovative startups, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 offers dozens of pitches, valuable workshops, and unmatched networking opportunities. The event takes place October 27–29 in San Francisco.
(Source: TechCrunch)
