SoulMatcher founder Natalia

Begin with a data-driven snapshot: since 2017, registered users rose to 1.8 million, monthly active users reached 320,000, onboarding-to-paying conversion sits at 28%, and 90-day retention exceeds 65%. This reflects a product strategy built on verified identities, frictionless sign-up, and transparent compatibility signals.

Leadership approach blends rigorous experimentation with qualitative feedback. The core unit comprises 28 specialists organized into cross-functional squads; two-week sprint cadences feed a tight release calendar, while an internal dashboard tracks metrics from match quality to churn. The team runs up to 40 experiments per quarter, with learnings fed into the next cycle.

Product philosophy centers on trust signals, privacy-by-design, and responsible algorithmic scoring. Identity verification reduces fake profiles by 70% and boosts match confidence, while automated moderation plus human review handles flagged content within hours. The emphasis on clear consent flow keeps users empowered over their data.

Background and trajectory: with a software engineering and data science foundation, the figure built the initial prototype in six weeks, secured seed funds of $3.2 million in 2018, and later led a Series A of $12 million in 2021. A beta launch drew 40,000 early adopters in three months, igniting organic growth through referrals and community events.

Practical guidance for readers: implement a verified identity tier, a concise, privacy-forward onboarding, and a scoring rubric that explains why matches are suggested. Establish a rapid feedback loop: weekly dashboards, monthly strategy reviews, and a lightweight product-led growth plan. This combination tends to lift activation, retention, and user trust.

Taken together, the team builder prioritizes measurable impact, disciplined product development, and a user-first mindset that translates into stronger retention and durable growth.

Origin Story: What sparked SoulMatcher and Natalia’s founding vision

Define three non-negotiable compatibility pillars and validate them with real users before coding a single line. Nail the pillars: shared values, communication rhythm, and growth orientation; validate with at least 150 conversations across diverse demographics.

The spark emerged during late-night chats and field interviews about why most dating tools yield quick flings rather than lasting bonds. An informal study of 300 potential users revealed that 72% were dissatisfied with generic prompts, and 61% craved guided starting points tailored to personalities and goals.

With a four-person team, the initial prototype launched after six weeks, focusing on 20 crafted prompts, a privacy-first interface, and a lightweight personality quiz to surface early compatibility signals.

Early traction came from universities and coworking spaces: 5,000 signups in two months, 2,100 completed onboarding, and 68% of early users returning for a second session within two weeks. The team iterated on prompts, added moderators, and built a data-informed onboarding flow that reduces friction by 28%.

Key recommendations for teams pursuing a meaning-first matchmaking concept: start with 3 core pillars, conduct weekly user interviews for 8 weeks, deploy a 14-day beta with tracked retention, and publish a plain-language privacy summary. Design prompts that map to real-life goals (trust, curiosity, and compatibility), and measure success by conversations started, depth of first messages, and subsequent connections reported by users.

Product Journey: MVP development, user testing, and rapid iterations

Begin with a four-week MVP sprint focused on three concrete capabilities: onboarding flow, core matching logic, and a lightweight feedback channel. Targets by end of sprint: signup-to-onboard rate ≥ 40%, activation within 24 hours ≥ 60%, 7‑day retention ≥ 25%, and feedback submissions from active users ≥ 15%.

MVP development: architecture and scope. Build a lean stack: frontend in TypeScript + React; backend API in Node.js/Express; data in PostgreSQL. Use simple JWT-based auth; separate concerns with a compact API; enable feature flags for incremental rollouts. Prepare a minimal data model with users, matches, and feedback records.

User testing plan: conduct weekly sessions with 5–8 testers; provide a fixed task set: complete onboarding, perform a match, submit feedback. Record task times, success rate, and pain points; capture brief qualitative notes and tag findings; convert insights into 2–3 concrete backlog items per session.

Rapid iterations cadence: implement 1-week sprint cycles; after each sprint, run a 60-minute review to decide to adjust or pause features. Ship 2–3 changes per sprint; apply staged rollout to a subset (20–30%) of users; use A/B tests to compare a single metric before and after changes.

Data discipline and decision making: instrument events: sign_up_started, sign_up_completed, first_match, feedback_submitted. Build a lightweight dashboard with four panels: onboarding completion, activation rate, 7‑day retention, feedback rate. Review results every week and re-prioritize the backlog accordingly.

Quality, privacy, and accessibility: anonymize data, minimize PII, provide opt-in disclosures for analytics, and ensure accessibility basics (keyboard navigation, readable contrast). Prepare a quick compliance note for data handling and session recording only with consent.

Leadership and Growth: building the team, culture, and strategic partnerships

Adopt a 90-day onboarding sprint with clearly mapped milestones, paired mentorship, and a 30-60-90 plan reviewed weekly during ramp. By day 90, each new hire should deliver a tangible outcome aligned to their role, with the team analyzing performance data to determine progression or role adjustment.

Core team composition for early scale: 1 product lead, 2 software engineers, 1 designer, 1 data analyst, 1 growth manager, 1 operations coordinator, and a partner/alliances manager added by the end of Q2. Use a structured interview rubric with five criteria–impact, collaboration, problem-solving, execution, reliability–scoring 1–5 on each item to drive consistent decisions.

Publish a concise culture code and ensure it is visible in the workspace and onboarding materials. Schedule weekly 60-minute alignment sessions, monthly all-hands with transparent updates, and quarterly offsites to reset priorities. Implement 360-degree feedback twice a year and enable internal mobility with a 12–18 month rotation plan to expand cross-functional skills.

Adopt an OKR framework: three company objectives, four team objectives, and one personal objective per quarter. Track ramp rate, feature throughput, churn, and partner-derived pipeline on a living dashboard. Target ramping new hires to 80% of plan by day 60, maintain quarterly churn under 6%, and achieve partner-sourced revenue or pipeline in the 10–15% band by year one.

Set partnership criteria: complementary capabilities, co-marketing potential, aligned customer segments, and a mutual GTM cadence. Aim for four to six active alliances by year one; each collaboration contributes 10–15% of annual revenue or pipeline. Require Joint Business Plans with quarterly reviews, and establish a shared API and data integration standard with a 60-day joint-support SLA.

Allocate a learning budget of 2% of annual payroll, reserve five days per employee per year for external workshops, and formalize a 2-hour weekly knowledge-sharing block for internal sessions. Create a mentorship ladder with senior staff guiding two newcomers per quarter and a quarterly skills-matrix review to map growth paths.

Adopt structured hiring to improve fairness: anonymize resumes, use standardized prompts, and employ a rubric with clear cutoffs. Track diversity metrics for technical roles aiming to reach 40–50% representation among women and other underrepresented groups by year two, while monitoring time-to-fill and quality-of-hire indices to refine sourcing.