Former hedge fund manager Yonatan Ben Shimon, working with advisor Joe Shapira, who is also the founder of popular Jewish dating platform JDate, is going to launch a blockchain-based online dating and matchmaking platform called Matchpool, according to a press release CoinReport received.

An incentive-based community platform that lets anyone open their own dating pool, Matchpool aims to disrupt the multi-billion dollar online dating industry and modernize the centuries-old matchmaking profession, said the release.

On Matchpool, users can create “pools” (equivalent of Facebook Groups or Slack Channels) that enable contacts among niche communities and friends, like a “Slack meets Tinder.” Matchpool’s Guppy token (GUP), an essential part of the platform’s decentralized protocol and long-term roadmap, rewards involvement.

The GUP token crowdsale is planned to be launched in February, while the platform will be launched in limited release in spring of this year.

The online dating industry generates around $2 billion in yearly returns in the United States only, with over 15 percent of US adults reporting utilizing online dating services and/or mobile dating apps. Statistics reveal that close to 40 percent of couples run into each other through common friends in spite of the rise of online dating.

Matchpool’s press release that we received said that the platform’s objective is to allow the users to connect their communities simply and profitably. To achieve that, Matchpool will serve as a fair, incentivized platform. For successful matches, matchmakers can earn Guppies, whereas users can earn Guppies just for participation. In time, everybody will be able to trade or sell their GUP on digital currency exchanges of high repute.

“Many online dating services use subscription-based models that do not align with the interest of the user,” said Shimon in the press release.

“Our vision is to let anyone become a matchmaker in their own community to facilitate a more natural online dating experience for everyone involved.”

Shapira stated, “In recent years, online dating sites have sprung up catering to several popular cultural and religious preferences.”

“Matchpool takes this concept a step further, allowing for more specificity in dating communities, and empowering people to become matchmakers and be rewarded for their work.”

According to the company’s whitepaper, the reward structure and trust-sensitive ownership within the platform will be taken care by Ethereum smart contracts, which will also handle the core logic that makes the system work. Also laid out in the whitepaper is a two-year roadmap for scaling the network, including the GUP token’s detailed specification.

Together with Shapira, Matchpool’s advisory board includes Dr. Roey Tzezana (“Guide to the Future”) and some of the most recognizable names in the cryptocurrency industry: Jake Brukman (Coinfund), Julian Zawistowski (The Golem Project) and Ned Scott (Steem).

Image courtesy of Matchpool via PR firm Transform Public Relations