From Heartbreak to Heart Connections: The So Syncd Journey

Meanwhile, her sister, Louella Alderson, was hearing complaints from friends in London about endless "swipe-apps" that delivered little substance and constant disappointment. According to Jessica, the conversation over coffee in Soho became a turning point: they realised there was a gap in dating apps centred on genuine compatibility rather than attraction alone.

They asked themselves: What if an app could match people not just by algorithmic surface data, but by personality type that predicted a more profound connection? That question became the founding idea of So Syncd: a dating app built to match compatible personality types and deliver meaningful relationships.

Founding Team & Roles

Jessica Alderson (Co-Founder & CEO) — Before founding So Syncd, Jessica worked in equity research at Morgan Stanley for 5 years, covering long-term investments and building analytical frameworks. Her transition from finance to dating tech was driven by a desire to apply methodical thinking and data to matters of the heart. She leads the company's vision, fundraising, and strategic direction.

Louella Alderson (Co-Founder & CMO) — While less frequently profiled, Lovella brings operational leadership and a shared interest in how personality and compatibility affect relationships. Together, the sisters bring complementary strengths: Jessica with business and analytical rigour; Lovella with product intuition and lived insight into modern dating frustrations.

Their sister-founder pairing added resilience — as Jessica noted in interviews, having someone "in the storm" of a startup with you makes all the difference.

Building the App: From thesis to MVP

Working from London and bootstrapping initially, Jessica and Lovella began by creating a personality-type test integrated into the app, asking users to complete a light version of an MBTI-style inventory, and then matching them to others who had compatible types (rather than simply geographic or demographic filters).

Their launch timing coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (early 2020), which paradoxically helped accelerate the usage of dating apps as people sought connection online. So Syncd launched in January 2020.

Early traction was encouraging: they noted thousands of sign-ups shortly after launch, and several success stories of couples meeting via the app within weeks. Jessica recalled one couple who met via the platform during lockdown, dated virtually, then met in person and got engaged.

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Growth, Funding & Milestones

The sisters raised early angel- and friends-and-family rounds to build their technical stack and initial user base. One article reports that they raised over £700K in seed capital by 2021.

As the app became more well-known, they marketed So Syncd as "the personality matched dating app" and set itself apart from the overwhelmingly “swipe left/right” culture. By mid-2021, they claimed tens of thousands of users and hundreds of matches.

In June 2024, So Syncd underwent a major strategic shift: the app was shut down in its existing format in May 2024 and relaunched as "So Syncd 2.0", moving beyond purely dating to focusing on personal growth, personality testing, and relationship-education modules. The founders explained that they wanted to "improve the quality of connections" rather than only volume.

Product Differentiation & Philosophy

What sets So Syncd apart:

• Personality-first matching — Personality matching is an integral part of the human algorithm that determines matching rather than just distance or popularity. That goes to a deeper level of compatibility.
• Intentional dating vs. casual swiping — Lovella noted that many users were tired of "meaningless swiping" and wanted a more thoughtful approach.
• Founder empathy & community focus — The founders emphasise engagement with their community, success stories, and building trust and authenticity. Jessica mentions she and her team interact daily with users and celebrate relationship outcomes.
  

Challenges & Lessons

Like many consumer-tech startups, So Syncd had to navigate multiple obstacles:

• Tech building as a non-technical founder — Jessica notes that early on, they had no dedicated developer and juggled full-time jobs while building the app.
• Funding bias — As female founders in tech, Jessica stresses the additional hurdles they faced in raising capital. She noted investor skepticism: "They couldn't believe a man would take a personality test on a dating app" was a real comment she received.
• Changing user behaviour & market saturation — The dating-app market is crowded, and user attention is fractured; so Syncd had to carve out a distinctive niche rather than chase mass installs.
• Pivoting product/business model — The 2024 shift from purely dating to personal growth and personality testing reveals another layer: the founders adapted when they realised that the quality of connection mattered more than sheer user numbers.
  

Why Their Story Matters

• Female-led tech venture: The Alderson sisters illustrate how women founders can build meaningful consumer-tech businesses and navigate investor bias.
• Founder-led pain point: Jessica's personal experience of a relationship ending triggered the idea—many strong startups start from personal pain.
• Behavioral science meets product: Bringing personality-type frameworks into dating hints at the next wave of "match beyond profile" innovation in consumer apps.
• Pivot with purpose: The decision to shut down the original app and relaunch So Syncd 2.0 with a broader mission shows maturity and long-term vision, not just chasing viral installs.
  

The Road Ahead: Vision & Next Steps

Looking forward, Jessica and Lovella have outlined that:

• So Syncd 2.0 will focus on personality testing, self-knowledge, relationship education, and community—not just "find someone now". The core mission: "help people understand themselves, love, and relationships".
• They intend to build hybrid content-community products: courses, premium membership, podcasts ("Personality Love Lab"), publications, and deeper relationship tools.
• Global expansion & reach: While UK-headquartered, they aim to globalise, tapping into markets where match quality matters.
• Monetisation of premium features: After a free-entry model, the plan is to introduce paid membership, advanced personality services, interactive coaching, and workshops. Jessica outlined a path to paid membership in 2021.