Seema Aunty’ changed it all. The host of the Netflix docu-reality series Indian Matchmaking, which got nominated for the 73rd Emmy Awards recently, gave ‘match-fixing’ a new cool quotient. Now, making the whole process not just cool, but scientific too is Akkiraju Vamsee Krishna with his new online matchmaking service, HappilyEver.
A native of Porumamalla, Andhra Pradesh, 37-year-old Krishna had been working in a tech startup in California, US, since 2008. In 2018, Krishna started to look for his life partner only to realise the process is painful and tedious. He dreamt that the process would mean knowing each other, and would be all about love, family and happiness. He was shocked to find that it meant slammed telephone calls and in some cases even rude single-line replies: “Don’t message ever again.”
The IIT alumnus, currently divorced and single, realised that it could have been the bad experiences that some of them had which makes them slam such services or matches that come through the online wedding apps or platforms. “The experience was embarrassing, awkward and humiliating. I was keen to change it. One of the golden rules of business is: Be the first customer of your own business. NRIs, especially, have a tough time finding the right person and don’t have the wherewithal to cross-check the facts. So I decided to jump into the fray, not just to find myself a partner but for many like me, keeping the pain points in mind,” he says.
According to Startup Talky, a platform for startup and market news, 60 million people are looking for life partners at any given time in India of which seven million Indians register online. The online matrimonial market was among the few sectors that grew last year. Jeevansathi billings grew by 13 percent in Q1 2020 and by 23 percent in August 2020, according to the report. These facts egged Krishna to take the big leap.With help from friend Chandrasekhar, also an IIT alumnus, he launched the portal in February 2021 with offices in Mountain View, California, and Hyderabad. The portal claims to do background checks and pre-marriage compatibility assessments, and check accuracy through advanced AI searches and psychometric tests to bring out the best potential match.
In the age of online dating and love affairs leading to marriage, going for an arranged marriage might sound a bit old school to many, but surprisingly the concept still works for the youth of India. “Only a minuscule percentage opt for love marriage in India due to a number of reasons like religious disputes, cultural differences, non-agreement of families and other critical matters but the major reason still remains, the long-held belief, that in India, you don’t just marry your partner, you marry his or her entire family,” Krishna opines.
With news of fraudulent cases and catfishing in matrimony on the rise, the entrepreneur started focussing even on minor things such as ensuring the selfie matches the uploaded photo on the website. “We insist on marital status- sworn-in certificate, onsite college verification, pending civil/criminal court cases, even social media check to understand his/her psychology as part of their 13-point verification process.”
The website also uses a feedback loop where when a customer rejects a match, his/her feedback (reason for rejection) is incorporated into the algorithm before finding the next set of matches. While the primary focus is on Indians in India and abroad, they also have sign-ups from Europe. Almost half of the registered users are parents.
Krishna is a techie by heart and he has made sure that their AI algorithm helps the users to find a match not only based on their preferences, but also by observing and understanding user’s behaviour and suggesting real-time appropriate profiles. “The algorithm or software has been programmed and is currently going through modifications to make it completely free from human intervention,” he promises. Looks like human wisdom, artificial intelligence, advanced technology and some luck are ingredients of a happily ever after fairy tale.
In the age of online dating, going for an arranged marriage might sound old school, but it still works for many
COMMON MISTAKES ON MATRIMONIAL WEBSITES
Flashy Profile Picture: Keep the profile picture informal, but not casual. A flashy and bold photograph can turn prospective matches off.
Leaving ‘About Me’
section blank: People often think that writing nothing or automated lines in the about me sections will make them look mysterious which is a huge mistake. It’s a bad practice to think that people are only interested in your pictures and gives potential suitors more of a reason to not acknowledge your profile at all. A few words about yourself and what you do is better than nothing. Make an effort to stand out from the competition.