Inside Karan Johar’s dating startup Elevn where women lead the search for love
Founded earlier this year by Karan Johar, Raghav Chaturvedi, and Ramya Chaturvedi, Elevn is India's first women-led dating app.
In the age of endless swipes and fleeting connections, finding genuine love online has started to feel like chasing a mirage. Dating apps have made it easier than ever to meet new people—but harder to form real, lasting relationships. For women, safety and authenticity remain constant concerns; for men, visibility and meaningful engagement are often elusive.
That’s the gap Elevn aims to close.
Co-founded by filmmaker Karan Johar, Raghav Chaturvedi and Ramya Chaturvedi, Elevn is reimagining how Indians date—bringing trust, balance, and authenticity back into the equation.
“India’s dating landscape today is dominated by global names like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, along with local players such as Aisle. Each has scale or niche strengths, but none solve India’s biggest pain point - safety, skewed gender ratios, fake profiles, and the lack of real-life outcomes or experiences. Elevn is built to address exactly this gap: a women-first, trust-led platform where credibility and community matter more than swipes,” says Raghav in an interaction with YourStory.
A new kind of dating app
“The idea behind Elevn came from a very real frustration with modern dating,” says Johar. “Matches on most apps rarely translate into real dates, and in India, trust and introductions still matter enormously. You don’t just meet someone randomly—you meet them through a friend, a circle, a vouch.”
Elevn’s core differentiator lies in its women-first onboarding model: men can only join through a woman’s endorsement. From there, AI-based verification ensures genuine profiles, helping users connect without the fatigue and uncertainty that often come with online dating.
“So Elevn puts women at the centre,” he explains. “Men can only join if endorsed by a woman, which immediately shifts the balance and builds credibility. And because romance doesn’t end with a swipe, the app also offers curated date experiences and exclusive mixers for singles to meet quality people.”
For women, the platform creates a space to express themselves freely—without the biases or safety concerns that plague traditional apps. For men, it encourages sincerity and accountability, shifting dating culture from performance to authenticity.
“With Elevn, every woman is the writer of her own journey, empowered to choose who enters her world, who stays and who exits. Because when you’re in control of your narrative, finding connections becomes truly extraordinary," says Ramya.
The founding story
The idea took shape when Raghavand Ramya began questioning why online dating still felt so transactional.
Raghav was a University of Pennsylvania alumnus who began his career at AllianceBernstein in New York before joining B2B fintech startup Tijoree, while Ramya was a marketing professional who previously worked with Jio, Dharma Productions, and VChic.
Their collaboration began years ago at Dharma Productions, where Ramya interned under Karan Johar. The two shared a common belief: India needed a platform that reflected emotional depth, cultural nuance, and respect—values often missing in existing global dating apps. When they reconnected, the spark for Elevn was born.
Bringing Karan Johar on board as a co-founder and advisor was a natural extension of that vision. Known for crafting some of India’s most iconic love stories, Johar’s role goes beyond celebrity endorsement. He actively advises on marketing, distribution, and brand positioning, helping shape Elevn’s narrative as a space for meaningful, modern relationships.
“My films may be larger than life, but at heart, I’m a hopeless romantic who believes love should feel safe, secure, and like home,” says Johar. “Being single can be frustrating, and dating today often feels overwhelming and noisy. But the dynamic truly changes when women take the lead. Elevn is about exactly that — putting women at the centre of modern romance. I’m proud to be part of what feels like a genuine cultural shift,” he adds.
Beyond the swipe
Elevn goes further than online matchmaking—it curates offline events, mixers, and date experiences to help digital chemistry translate into real-world connections.
Its business model focuses on intent over volume: men pay to engage in conversations after matching, while women use the app free of cost. This helps filter for seriousness and keeps interactions balanced.
“It’s simple and intuitive,” explains Raghav. “Women start by creating their profiles, and men can only join through an invite or approval from a woman—either a friend or someone who trusts them. Each invite can even include a short endorsement, adding a personal layer of credibility. Every profile then undergoes AI-based face verification to ensure authenticity.
Once on the app, Elevn’s compatibility algorithm curates matches, while an AI assistant helps refine profiles and suggests ice-breakers so conversations feel natural. And when users are ready to take things offline, they can book curated date experiences at partner venues.
“Unlike most dating apps that end at a swipe, Elevn is built to take you from a verified match to a meaningful real-world connection,” adds Raghav.
What’s next
Backed by Whiteboard Capital and Beenext, Elevn plans to expand across metro cities, deepen its event ecosystem, and scale its paid subscription base. The startup’s long-term goal is to build India’s most trusted relationship platform, where finding someone special feels both emotionally fulfilling and socially safe.
As Johar puts it, Elevn isn’t just a dating app—it’s a cultural experiment. One that dares to believe that in a world of fleeting swipes, the future of love might just lie in slowing down.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan