How we combined ruthless performance marketing with culture-shifting brand strategy to build the world's largest South Asian dating app.
Key metrics: 2M+ Users, 2.5x MAU Growth, Strategic Exit to The Dating Group
Most startups treat Brand and Performance as separate silos. We treated them as a single ecosystem.
We used data to inform our creative decisions, and high-quality storytelling to lower acquisition costs.
Full-Funnel Rigor: Audited every step of the user journey, optimizing for LTV rather than cheap installs.
Creative Velocity: Built a testing framework to launch hundreds of ad creatives per week.
Result: Scaled revenue 4.9x in under two years.
Influencer Strategy: #StraightfromtheDil campaign with @bhashamukherjee, @sangtarr, @jotykay, @thesandylion, @happysinghmusic, @neelofficial, @jaskirann_, @saffatt, @soniarathee, authentic creator partnerships integrated into natural content styles.
Field Marketing: Partnered with 5X Fest, Product of Culture, Popshift, Brown Girl Magazine for live cultural activations.
Celebrity Partnerships: Cross-pollination with Bollywood icons like Shilpa Shetty to drive traffic and credibility.
How we combined ruthless performance marketing with culture-shifting brand strategy to build the world's largest South Asian dating app.
2M+
Users
2.5x
MAU Growth
200K+
MAU
1
Exit
*Metrics represent approximate figures circa 2021.
The Philosophy
Most startups treat Brand and Performance as separate silos. We treated them as a single ecosystem. We used data to inform our creative decisions, and we used high-quality storytelling to lower our acquisition costs. This created a self-reinforcing loop where brand equity fueled efficient growth, and revenue funded bigger cultural swings.
The Operator Story
We had product-market fit, but we were hitting a ceiling. The data showed high churn and a leaky funnel. We needed to transform a casual dating app into a predictable revenue machine without alienating the user base.
We audited every step of the user journey. From the first ad impression to the final subscription purchase, we optimized for LTV rather than just cheap installs.
We built a testing framework that allowed us to launch and iterate on hundreds of ad creatives per week. This ensured we never suffered from ad fatigue.
The acquisition engine spanned Meta, Google UAC, Snapchat, and even Spotify audio ads, each channel with its own creative strategy and kill criteria.
The Result
Scaled revenue 4.9x in under two years, taking the company from Seed stage to a successful exit.
The Creator Story
Efficiency builds revenue, but Brand builds value. To win the market, we could not just be a "dating app." We had to become a lifestyle brand for the South Asian diaspora.
For the #StraightfromtheDil campaign, we partnered with a curated roster of South Asian creators: @bhashamukherjee, @sangtarr, @jotykay, @thesandylion, @happysinghmusic, @neelofficial, @jaskirann_, @saffatt, and @soniarathee, each selected for their authentic connection to the community. The strategy was deliberate: rather than scripted endorsements, we integrated Dil Mil into each creator's natural content style so the brand partnership felt organic, not forced. This meant letting a musician weave it into their creative process, a lifestyle creator into their daily routine, and a comedian into their storytelling. The result was content that audiences engaged with because it felt real, not because it was an ad.
We took the brand offline through strategic partnerships. We collaborated with cultural heavyweights like 5X Fest, Product of Culture, Popshift, and Brown Girl Magazine for live events.
We executed cross-pollination projects with Bollywood icons like Shilpa Shetty to drive traffic and credibility across our entire portfolio of apps.
The Outcome
Dil Mil is the definitive growth story of my career. It proved that you do not have to choose between being "cool" and being "profitable." By respecting the culture and the data equally, we built a company that defined a generation. We proved we could acquire users efficiently through performance and keep them engaged emotionally through brand. This positioned Dil Mil as the undisputed leader in the vertical. This full-stack growth strategy ultimately led to our acquisition by the Dating Group, validating the thesis that niche communities are the future of social networking.
"We didn't just build an app. We built the digital infrastructure for a global culture."- Jaz Singh
Want to dive deeper? Explore the individual case studies →