Марія Бровінська Startup 3 March 2025, 08:13

“We like to call ourselves Pokémon Go for dating.” Single startups have created a new free AR dating service, Left Field, that helps you find love, not Pokémon.

A new dating app wants to be like Pokémon Go for finding love.

Left Field has launched in New York, the latest startup trying to gain traction as industry heavyweights have failed. When Left Field founders Samantha Martin and Kate Siler moved to New York City after college, they were met with the same doubts that many daters face today. Martin told Business Insider that endless scrolling, a lack of organic engagement, and a barrage of paid services were just some of the «dating pains» they experienced.

They started building Left Field in 2024 and have since left jobs in finance and consulting after raising funding from family and friends. Sean Miller, a founding engineer at fintech startup Apollo Card, joined Left Field as a technical co-founder in 2025. The app officially launched on the Apple App Store in February.

How Left Field works

The profile itself is similar to many dating apps (with photos, bios, and some tips), but instead of scrolling through a pile of nearby candidates, the app sends a push notification about a potential match in the area if location services are enabled and the user crosses paths with one of the app’s users.

«We like to call ourselves the Pokémon Go for dating,» says Martin.

The idea is that Left Field is a more passive way of dating, where you can turn location services on and off.

«If you’re interested in meeting someone, you just turn on the app, and then you can close it and forget about it,» Siler says.

This isn’t the first dating app to try to convey the feeling of crossing paths with someone nearby. Happn, a French dating app, launched a decade ago with a similar idea.

«Today, single people are looking to bring back real-life encounters, such as in bars and restaurants,» Happn CEO Karima Ben Abdelmalek told BI last year.

Left Field currently does not have any paid features.

How to form an audience

Like many new dating apps that have emerged recently, Left Field is turning to social media to build an audience. It’s partnering with three comedy creators to create content for Instagram and TikTok.

It also takes a cue from Tinder and Hinge by hosting parties and focusing on college campuses.

Meanwhile, to grow the app in New York, Left Field plans to partner with local groups and venues like running clubs, bars, and comedy clubs, as well as host dating events for single people.

«Now is the best time to start a dating app because people are clearly frustrated with the current offerings,» says Martin. «The catch-22 is that at the same time people don’t like dating apps, but they also have a harder time meeting in real life because people are addicted to them.»

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