Laila: Reinventing Dating as a Social Marketplace with Kaan Divitoğlu

In this episode of Alexa’s Input (AI), I sit down with Kaan Divitoğlu, founder of Laila — a New York based startup rethinking online dating as a social marketplace centered around real plans instead of endless swiping.

We talk about why traditional dating apps struggle to create real-world connection, how marketplace dynamics shape modern dating behavior, and why Kaan believes the future of dating products is less about “matching soulmates” and more about helping people actually get out on first dates.

Kaan shares what he’s learned building a product around something emotional, unpredictable, and deeply human: connection.

We also get into:
• The metrics behind dating products and user behavior
• Why most matches never turn into real dates
• Designing around human psychology and social incentives
• AI in dating apps — where it helps and where it shouldn’t
• The process of building Laila
• Social media growth, creator strategies, and startup distribution
• Why Kaan thinks apps themselves may eventually disappear

Links

Watch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@alexa_griffith⁠⁠⁠⁠

Read: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://alexasinput.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Listen:⁠⁠ https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/alexagriffith/⁠⁠

More: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/alexagriffith⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about the host at

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://alexagriffith.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-griffith/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more about the guest at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaan-divitoglu-152779105/

Laila Website: https://laila.nyc

Laila Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laila.social