Eliana Barbel Launches Tandu, an AI-Powered Dating Startup Eliminating Swipes
Israeli entrepreneur Eliana Barbel and former Big Tech engineer Asher Barak have launched tandu, a new dating startup that replaces swiping with personalized AI matchmakers inspired by traditional Jewish matchmaking.
Israeli entrepreneur Eliana Barbel (36) has spent years navigating the dating industry, driven by a mission to find a viable alternative to traditional dating apps—which she describes as exhausting at best, and designed to keep users single at worst. After launching "Eli the Bot" in April 2022, a service that began on WhatsApp, transitioned to Telegram, and eventually became a standalone app before permanently shutting down on December 31, 2024, Barbel joined Rakuten Viber. There, she spearheaded Viber Dating from concept to global launch, registering over one million users worldwide.
Today, Barbel is officially unveiling her new dating startup, tandu, co-founded with Asher Barak, a veteran software development leader who previously managed engineering teams at Meta, Amazon, and Google.
The AI Matchmaker Model
Unlike traditional dating apps, tandu completely eliminates profile feeds and swiping. Instead, each user is assigned a personal AI matchmaker. The interaction occurs entirely through a chat interface, similar to ChatGPT, where users can type or record voice messages.
Over time, the AI matchmaker learns about the user's personality, preferences, dating experiences, and relationship dilemmas. It represents the user in negotiations with other AI matchmakers representing potential matches. Users can also upload photos to receive direct feedback from their AI assistant.
When two AI matchmakers identify a high-compatibility match, they present the proposal to their respective users. If a user feels they lack sufficient context, their AI matchmaker can contact the other party's AI matchmaker to gather additional details before a decision is made. If both users agree to the match, they are connected directly to communicate on their own.
A Modern Take on the Jewish Matchmaker
Co-founder Asher Barak left his roles at major tech conglomerates to build a platform that fosters genuine human connection rather than superficial engagement.
Barak stated:
"I left the perks of big tech companies to establish tandu because I believe there is an opportunity today to build technology that works in reverse: supporting people on their journey and helping them form real connections. We draw inspiration from apps that support and ease people's lives, and we find a model in the long-standing tradition of the Jewish matchmaker (shadchan), who possesses knowledge, experience, life wisdom, and the ability to truly see the person in front of them."
Barbel and Barak were introduced through a match of their own, facilitated by Navot Volk, host of the Weekly Sync podcast.
Local Focus and Future Monetization
The startup is launching its waitlist today to build the user base necessary for matchmaking. Barbel expects thousands of users in the initial days and tens of thousands within a few months. The app is fully inclusive of same-sex couples.
Addressing the failure of "Eli the Bot," Barbel noted that relying on users' existing social circles severely limited matching pools, which exhausted options within weeks. With tandu, the matching pool is expanded.
Currently operating as a bootstrapped venture without external investment, tandu is launching as a free service. However, Barbel plans to introduce paid features once the product delivers consistent results, applying lessons learned from her previous venture where delayed monetization led to closure.
Barbel also emphasized that tandu will focus strictly on the Israeli market initially, as matchmaking is deeply cultural, requiring an understanding of local nuances such as Sabbath observance and domestic politics. The AI models are being trained extensively through Hebrew conversations to master these cultural subtleties.
