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Andy Dunn’s new app Pie uses AI to help you make friends

Andy Dunn's new app, Pie, aims to help people make friends using AI. With $11.5 million in funding, Pie has over 130,000 users in San Francisco and Chicago. To tackle crowded events, Pie offers 'Sparked Connections,' an AI quiz that groups attendees likely to connect. This reflects the rising trend of using technology to combat loneliness in social interactions.

Key points

  • Andy Dunn, founder of Bonobos, created Pie to help people make friends.
  • Pie raised $11.5 million in Series A funding and has 130,000 monthly users in San Francisco and Chicago.
  • The app faced challenges as crowded events made it difficult for users to connect.
  • To solve this, Pie acquired two founders working on an AI tool, 'Sparked Connections.'
  • The tool uses quizzes to group users based on compatibility before events.
  • The AI predicts likely connections to foster socialization among attendees.

Why it matters

  • The rise of technology-driven solutions to loneliness, like dating apps.
  • Growing concerns about social isolation in America, particularly post-pandemic.
  • A broader trend towards using AI in social apps to enhance user experience and connectivity.

Dunn's Pie exemplifies how technology, specifically AI, is increasingly integrated into social interactions, reflecting a significant trend in addressing loneliness through innovative solutions.