Hily is a French

online dating application An online dating application is an online dating service presented through a mobile phone application (app), often taking advantage of a smartphone's GPS location capabilities, always on-hand presence, easy access to digital photo galleries and m ...

that employs

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

to match prospective partners. Named as an acronym for "Hey, I Like You", the app is designed to recommend potential matches by analyzing users' backgrounds, interests, and app activity. The app's registration options for gender include male, female, and

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

. Hily was initially released in August 2017. According to

TechCrunch TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare. In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately ...

, the app had 35,000 users during its closed beta stage in October 2017. Hily later acquired additional users through a partnership with

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before the ...

. In August 2019, the app was reported to have 5 million users.

History

Hily was co-founded by Yan Pronin and Alex Pasykov. The concept for the app originated from Pronin's professional background in

analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data. It also entails applying data patterns toward effective decision-making. It ...

and

statistical modeling A statistical model is a mathematical model that embodies a set of statistical assumptions concerning the generation of sample data (and similar data from a larger population). A statistical model represents, often in considerably idealized form, ...

. The app was designed to connect prospective partners based on similar interests, instead of geographic location and physical attractiveness. On August 14, 2017, the app launched in the United States. In March 2019, it was also released in the UK, Ireland, and France. In August 2019, the app was reported to have 5 million users and rank among the top three dating apps in U.S. consumer spending for the second quarter of 2019.

Operation

Hily employs

and statistical

algorithms In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing c ...

. It analyzes data such as depth of dialogue, word choice, and mutual likes to identify profiles with a high probability for a match. In August 2018, Aime Williams of

FT Magazine ''FT Magazine'' is a supplement to the weekend edition of the ''Financial Times'' newspaper. History and profile ''FT Magazine'' was founded in 2003. John Lloyd was the first editor of the magazine. It is published on Saturdays and covers world ...

commented that Hily's monitoring of users' verbal exchanges "takes things a step further" than competitor

geosocial networking Geosocial networking is a type of social networking in which geographic services and capabilities such as geocoding and geotagging are used to enable additional social dynamics.

apps. The user platform requires account verification through live photo capture, uploading a photo of an official ID, or social media integration.

Business model

Hily is distributed under a

freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...

business model. The app is free to download and use, while features that are basic in other dating apps (such as limiting search to within 40km) are accessed via a paid subscription plan.

References

External links

* {{Official website, hily.com Mobile social software 2017 software IOS software Online dating applications Android (operating system) software