Adam and Liam Zucker, the Co-Founders of Loop The Zucker siblings, Lian, 32, and Adam, 28, have modernized old-time Jewish matchmaking with Loop, a matchmaking app for users 18+, regardless of culture, gender, religion or observance level. Rather than endlessly swiping through options on standard dating apps like Hinge and Bumble, Loop’s quality matches emerge from mutual friend introductions and recommendations.
Lian and Adam, who were born in Israel to Israeli parents, were raised in Los Angeles. About a decade ago, Lian moved to New York City, while her brother and co-founder, Adam, currently splits his time between NYC and the Bay Area. They created Loop after finding dissatisfaction with their own dating app experiences.
“My dating journey before Loop was dominated by swipe-based apps,” Lian told the Journal. “I flick my thumb and receive another profile in what seems like a bottomless pit of options … nearly every dating app that emerged was largely a derivative of that volume-based paradigm. Potential romantic candidates are plucked out of the ether and presented without social context … No other generation has had to approach dating like a game of roulette. Why should we? It [was] time for a shakeup.”
He continued, “With Loop, we’re not building something inherently new but rather bringing a thousand-year-old tradition into the modern age, giving it the necessary digital ‘facelift’ to make it accessible and appealing to our generation.”
“With Loop, we’re not building something inherently new but rather bringing a thousand-year-old tradition into the modern age, giving it the necessary digital ‘facelift’ to make it accessible and appealing to our generation.”
Users can actively participate in the app’s matchmaking process. They create profiles, describing themselves and their relationship preferences. They then connect with and invite people they know to expand their Loop network, instead of swiping left and right through arbitrary profiles.
Both parties can set up friends by making personalized introductions, increasing accountability and intentionality in the dating process. To start a conversation between matched individuals, both parties must mutually accept the match. Single users can also request introductions to friends of friends they see on the app.
“Anyone can be a matchmaker and make a life-changing introduction for someone they care about,” Lian said. “Matchmakers help singles enter [their] first interaction with a level of trust that can meaningfully improve outcomes.”
Loop encourages users to continually build their networks to widen the pool of potential romantic connections. Once singles enter a relationship, they switch their status on the app but maintain the role of matchmakers.
Lian and Adam aspire to transform the dating experience into a more inclusive and connected journey, alleviating the inherent loneliness that often accompanies the quest for love.
“We believe that the more support you have along the dating journey, the better,” Lian said. “Friends can often not only make valuable introductions but also [act as] great sounding boards, helping [us to] challenge our assumptions and biases, encourage us or [simply] listen.”
Matchmaking is deeply rooted in Jewish culture, but Loop serves a diverse range of individuals, including Jewish, Christian, Asian, Indian and Muslim, through social media and word-of-mouth. Currently, the app has attracted tens of thousands of active users. Currently, the Zuckers are forging partnerships with organizations, such as Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Olami and Chabad to propel the growth of their user base to new heights.
In Loop’s future, users can anticipate enhanced features, particularly the ability to organize custom in-person events within the app. This new feature will enable singles to meet new people, expand their Loop network, and facilitate additional setups before and after the physical meetups.
Loop can be used as a way to foster community and connection, bringing light to the world as we continue to contend with the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war.
“It’s our absolute honor that Loop has become so popular in the Jewish community across observance level and across geography,” Lian said. “Adam and I are both proud Jews and our appreciation for matchmaking is deeply ingrained in Jewish culture … [as well as] many [other] cultures and religions.”
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