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We all want to meet people and form meaningful connections. That’s even harder when you’re an international in a new country. But instead of helping us, traditional dating apps often make us feel more disconnected. They trap us in endless swiping, bombard us with notifications and lead to superficial matches. It can get so overwhelming that we get dating burnout and quit them altogether.
“Dating burnout is real. I wanted to change that.”
Pierre Biver, Intent founder
Pierre Biver, the founder of new ethical dating app Intent, knows exactly how this feels. His experiences with different dating apps after moving here from France eight years ago led him to create Intent.
“Dating burnout is real,” Pierre says, “And it hits even harder when you’re navigating a new country. I felt like I was playing the lottery with all the dating apps I tried. Over the years, my experience got worse and worse. I was giving energy to this black hole, getting nothing back. By the end of 2024, I thought: I just don’t want to do this any more.”
Pierre, an experienced programmer, realised the solution was in his own hands: “I wanted a dating app that felt fair, ethical and good to use, and I found nothing on the market. Then I thought – why not do it myself? That way I could use my skills and experience to help others too.”
Dating with intention
Intent launched worldwide late last year. Pierre built the app himself from scratch, from initial design through build and marketing, consulting with potential users at each stage.
“Intent is literally about dating with intention. That’s why I chose the name,” Pierre says. “We live in an attention economy. Traditional dating apps use a gamification model to steal your attention, keeping you engaged and paying them a lot of money. But you have no idea what you might get in return. With Intent, you only give your attention when it’s meaningful for you. You only pay anything when you actually want to connect with someone. You are the one in control.”
A revolutionary approach
Intent offers a revolutionary new approach to dating online:
- A few curated profiles delivered daily to you at 7pm – no endless swiping
- A focus on what makes you unique using your voice, psychology-backed questions and thoughtful prompts
- Conversations unlocked by both people with a dating token – no ads, no subscription
- No notification spam – you only see mutual matches, not every like
Each stage of Intent’s design has been guided by psychological approaches. Pierre is passionate about philosopher Alain de Botton’s “School of Life” in particular. “It’s a really fascinating philosophy around healthy relationships and meaningful connections,” Pierre says. “Most dating apps use psychology against us. They exploit us to drive their own profits, to benefit their investors. Ironically, it’s in their interests to keep you using their apps long term. They don’t actually want you to find love because then you would stop using the apps! I wanted to do the complete opposite. I do feel a responsibility towards Intent users, to use ethical approaches and not mislead people. As an independent company that doesn’t have to answer to investors, I have the freedom to do that.”
How Intent works
When you sign up for Intent, you are guided through a series of carefully designed questions relating to your core values, causes you care about, what draws you to others, even how you react to conflict. The result is a profile genuinely reflecting your authentic self.
“I really wanted to protect people from the biases embedded in other dating apps,” Pierre says. “That’s why Intent doesn’t allow you to state your height, education or job. There are apps now that actually let you filter people by height! How is that going to help you find someone who you can genuinely fall in love with?”
Intent’s algorithm then uses your answers to match you based on what psychological research says actually predicts compatibility.
One of Intent’s unique features – a few curated profiles delivered at 7pm each day – is based on the psychological insight that we can only hold seven pieces of information in our short term memory at once without becoming overwhelmed.
Intent users then send “likes” to those they want to connect with. If the other person also wants to connect, both purchase a token for a small cost and are able to connect. There are no joining fees, subscriptions or other in-app costs.
“It’s so important for me that Intent doesn’t exploit loneliness,” says Pierre. “You only pay when Intent is offering value for you, at the point where you find connection with others.”
An inclusive dating app
Another aspect of Intent that’s important for Pierre is its inclusivity.
“Fairness and social justice are key values of mine,” says Pierre. “I set out to design an inclusive experience but equally, I’m a straight man so sometimes I might miss things. I became very aware after talking to my queer friends of the negative experiences they had had with existing dating apps and how Intent needed to be different. Being seen as a whole person, not objectified, is key to that inclusive experience and our design offers that.”
Intent’s featured image – the first thing users see – is two women dressed in comfortable, gender neutral clothing, lying side by side on the grass holding hands. It’s unusual for a dating app, Pierre acknowledges.
“I chose that image because I wanted to attract users who share my values,” he says. “On Intent, everyone is welcomed, respected and included, however you identify. As an ethical app, I have a responsibility to ensure that.”
The future is Intent
Let Intent change your relationship with online dating. Be seen as your authentic self. Connect with others in meaningful ways. Make every conversation intentional. It’s built on psychology and designed for you.
“Intent shows that dating apps can be ethical and feel good to use,” Pierre says. “I’m quite a humble person but I’m really proud of it. It’s the app I was always looking for and I know there are many, many others who feel the same.”
To find out more, visit https://intent-dating.app/
This article is a paid partnership with Intent
