Kolkata-based vernacular dating app Flutrr raises funding from Huma Qureshi, others

Flutrr, a Kolkata-based dating app that supports six Indian languages, has raised Rs 2 crore in funding from Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi and angel investors, including Sandeep Bhattacharya, former Global CMO of Hoechst and Merck, and Yogesh Mishra, Director of PayPal USA.

The latest investment brings its all-time raise to approximately $750,000 (or around Rs 6.5 crore). 

It is also backed by media giant Times of India, The Chennai Angels, and top-level executives from Google, SAP, Microsoft, and DBS.

“Huma’s investment propels us toward becoming a pan-India success story from Kolkata. We’re thrilled to welcome a strong woman like Huma to the Flutrr family,” said Kaushik. “Huma has always taken up strong feminist roles in her career. And as a women-centric app, we couldn’t be more excited to have her on board,” said Anirban, Co-Founder and CMO.

What does Flutrr do?

Flutrr is a dating app that supports six Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, and Bengali.

The startup aims to bridge the gap for non-English speakers in Tier II and Tier III cities, fostering meaningful connections rooted in shared linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

The app is designed to help young Indians from small towns engage in online dating by allowing them to express feelings and build connections in their native languages.

Changing the online dating landscape in India

India is the fifth-largest market for dating apps globally, with a growing number of young Indians from smaller towns embracing online dating.

However, many popular dating apps predominantly operate in English, creating a barrier for users who are not fluent in the language. Flutrr aims to overcome this challenge by offering its platform in major Indian languages.

"Small-town India, colloquially known as 'Bharat', boasts around 650 million youth who lack English fluency. However, the 'Jio Effect' has brought affordable internet access to even the remotest corners of the nation, levelling the digital playing field. Flutrr is pioneering this change by offering a dating app available in major Indian languages, enabling young individuals to connect with potential romantic partners in their native tongues," said Kaushik Banerjee, Co-Founder and CEO of Flutrr.

Features and safety measures

Available for both Android and iOS users, Flutrr operates on a pay-per-use monetization model with micro-transactions. Users can purchase premium features like profile boosts and likes without subscribing to a plan.

The app also prioritizes user safety with features such as face recognition algorithms, mobile number verification, private mode messaging, and a kill switch to erase chats from the receiver’s device. Additionally, video calls have a blur filter, and screenshots are disabled to protect users’ privacy.

Users can also activate ‘ghost mode’ to hide their exact location. Flutrr has introduced several features to enhance user engagement.

The ‘finderr’ feature allows users to showcase content similar to Instagram or TikTok. Other features include love quotes, music, and a gifting option to incentivize active participation.

"Our app is initiating a gifting culture by introducing coupons that reward users for sending more likes and messages on our platform. This incentivizes our users to engage more actively with our app," explained Anirban.

Is it profitable?

Flutrr is targeting the growing online dating industry in India, expected to reach $69.90 million in 2024. Currently, 72% of its users are from Tier II and smaller towns, with a match rate of 8.58%, significantly higher than the 2-3% match rate of English dating apps in the top 30 cities of India.

The startup claims to have over 400,000 active users and nearing 1 million downloads. It also claims to generate a monthly revenue of Rs 20-21 lakh. 

Flutrr is on track to be profitable by the end of 2024 and aims to reach 5-6 million users within the next 12 months. Additionally, It plans to make tech hires in the coming year.