Bing announced today that it has added LikeBright to the Bing Fund, its “angel investor with an incubator”. Bing Fund launched in July, and then unveiled its first startups the following month. These were Buddy and Pinion.
LikeBright is the first startup Bing Fund has added since then. Senior Program Manager Aya Zook says LikeBright “has the potential to fill a void experienced by millions – finding a match online.” That’s saying something, especially considering that Bing was part of Facebook’s Graph Search announcement, which many have suggested could be quite ideal for matchmaking.
“At the end of day, technology is about helping enrich people’s lives,” says Rahul Sood, General Manager of Bing Fund. “Using social signals we generate online, LikeBright lets your network have a say in who your potential matches could be. Because who better to vouch for you and a match than your friends and family? We’re excited at the opportunity to help LikeBright further this vision.”
“LikeBright’s mission is to eliminate loneliness using the shared social ties that connect people,” says LikeBright founder and CEO Nick Soman. “Most single people meet their partners through friends, and lots of people like to set their friends up. We give them a simple, social and safe way to do this online. People deserve to find love through the people they trust. Having Bing and Microsoft in our corner will help us make it happen faster.”
LikeBright does make use of Facebook to let users “connect privately”.
Like Bing, LikeBright is based in the Seattle area.