What Is Cerca Dating?
What to know about Cerca, the dating app built around mutual friends, including who started it and how its matching works.
What is Cerca dating?
Cerca Dating is a dating app that only matches you with people you are connected to through mutual friends, so every potential date is someone within your extended social circle. The name comes from the Spanish word for “near.” Cerca is live in New York, Los Angeles and other cities across the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, and as of March 2026 it had 170,000 singles on the app.
Who founded Cerca?
Cerca was founded by Myles Slayton, William Conzelman and Carter Rocket-Munk, who started it as seniors at Georgetown University, and Slayton was the company’s CEO as of October 2025. In June 2025, Cerca raised a $1.6 million seed round led by Corazon Capital, the venture firm led by Sam Yagan, the former CEO of Match Group and founder of OkCupid. Slayton has explained the idea behind the app by asking, “If you’re single, are you going to ask a computer to set you up, or are you going to ask your best friend?”
How does Cerca work?
Cerca works by syncing your contacts and showing you only people who share a first- or second-degree connection with you, with your contacts never notified that you’ve joined. Each profile lists the mutual friends you have in common, and Cerca limits how many profiles you see each day (four, as of October 2025). Likes are anonymous, so the other person only finds out you liked them if you both like each other and match. You can also search for a specific person and like them, and Cerca lets you do some matchmaking of your own by setting up single friends.
How do you get accepted to Cerca?
To join Cerca, users must be at least 18 years old and create an account using their phone number. The app asks users to sync their contacts, which it uses to identify people in their existing network and connect them with friends of friends. Cerca also uses selfie verification to confirm users’ identities and may use additional verification methods for people joining through a college community. Once a profile is set up, users are shown people connected to them through mutual friends or other shared communities.
Is Cerca free?
Cerca is free, and as of September 2026 it offers no in-app purchases, subscriptions or paid tiers. That means everyone who joins gets the same features, including a limited set of daily profiles, anonymous likes, the ability to search for someone specific and the option to set up single friends. Cerca has not announced any plans to charge for features or published any prices.
Looking for a matchmaker to make the introduction?
Known is a matchmaking service for intentional daters who want a more personal, hands-off approach to dating. Instead of matching through your phone contacts, Known’s matchmaker gets to know you beyond what fits on a dating profile, from your values and relationship goals to the little things that make you, you. Potential matches get the same thoughtful treatment, so when there’s someone worth meeting, Known makes the introduction.
Because chemistry is best discovered in person, Known is designed to get you there. When you both say yes to an introduction, Known finds a time, books the reservation, and sends you the details, so all you have to do is show up.
Known is currently available in San Francisco and San Diego, with plans to expand nationwide. Download Known to see when your city is launching.
Getting to know someone takes trust. Known puts privacy and safety alongside the introduction: our privacy policy explains how information is handled, and our community guidelines cover consent, respectful behavior, and confidential reporting.
Explore Known as an alternative, or download Known to get started.