NearGroup chatbot startup lands $1.6m Seed round led by OpenOcean

In Arabic, Indian or Eastern cultures where people can't really have an open dating profile, the traditional Tinder/Happn/Bumble/Badoo etc dating apps don't work too well as they are based on images. It turns out chat bots may be the way forward in these markets if a recent VC investment is anything to go by. NearGroup, a chatbot allowing users to connect with like-minded people based on proximity, personality and their creative content has raised a $1.6m (£1.2m) seed round led by OpenOcean, with participation from Neotribe and BoostVC. NearGroup will use the funding to expand in Asia Pacific, the US and Europe. The NearGroup chatbot (open in for Messenger) allows users to read the'stories' of individuals nearby, and reply to people they want to start a conversation with.