Cerca is a rapidly growing collegiate dating app developed by Georgetown University students that connects users through real-life connections rather than random strangers. Leveraging mutual friends, curated daily matches, and stringent trust-based features, Cerca aims to facilitate dating that’s safer, more thoughtful, and, in many ways, grounded in real-world credibility.
What Makes Cerca Stand Out from Other Dating Apps?
Cerca’s premise is straightforward — people feel safer and more confident that they’ll be attracted to the other person if someone in their social circle can vouch for him or her.
No more open-ended swiping and anonymous profiles. Cerca serves 4 handpicked matches per day, and each is tied to your phone contacts. The aim is to promote accountability and trust, two values that have largely gone missing from the internet today.
How Does the App Work?
Curated Daily Matches
Each user is allocated four matches per day via GPS-based location-based networking. Cerca, unlike most dating apps, focuses on the volume of conversations in its app rather than on scrolling through users’ profiles.
Clear Mutual Connections
Before it shows you any photos, Cerca reveals which mutual friends connect you to a potential match.
Users can also invite those friends to use the app — or help offer recommendations — a notion intended to make the experience feel more real and community-oriented.
Invite-to-Join Structure
On Cerca, a user can only join if they are:
- Already know five people on the platform, or
- Refer five of your colleagues to unlock access.
This “social gatekeeping” disincentivizes the creation of fake profiles and helps perpetuate a screened user base.
Why Gen Z Is Flocking to Cerca
Early momentum is strong — and investors are paying attention.
To date, the startup has raised $1.6 million in seed funding led by Corazon Capital with participation from Sam Yagan, one of the cofounders of OKCupid. Cerca has already drawn over 20,000 users aged 18 to 30, demonstrating obvious traction with Gen Z.
Young users say they want dating apps to “feel like a social ecosystem, not just some game you’re playing on your phone.”
Cerca feeds right into that need.
How Does Cerca Think About Trust and Safety?
The antidote to anonymous dating culture.
Key safety features include:
- Mutual friends displayed upfront.
- Matching on a daily reveal at 8 p.m., to prevent impulsive browsing
- Screenshot ban to maintain privacy and discourage sharing outside the app
- Limited browsing each day to inspire slower, more intentional participation
By prioritizing transparency over appearance, Cerca is designed to inspire a mindful and responsible dating experience.
How Does Cerca Bring Online Dating Back to the Real World?
In addition to the app, founders organize social IRL gatherings in cities, including:
- College campuses
- New York City
- Washington, DC
- Los Angeles
- Miami
These meetups are designed to help users go from online introductions to offline action — the part of dating Gen Z says they want most.
The team is also working on new product directions:
- Enabling users to play cupid for their friends
- Scaling to platonic connections, not just romantic ones
This suggests a broader vision: a social network vetted by trust rather than swipes.
What’s at Stake for Cerca Right Now?
Trust: the new currency of dating
By connecting through mutual friends, Cerca addresses the safety and anonymity concerns.
Made for mindful engagement, not burnout
Small limits on daily matches and the inability to take screenshots counteract the gamified, addiction-oriented feel that many dating apps have.
Bigger potential beyond dating
A relationships-based foundation that can organically expand into friendships, introductions, and real-world social growth.
