Read the pitch decks 18 startups disrupting social media and dating used to raise millions and ink deals.

From platforms focused on getting people to meet IRL to dating apps taking on Tinder or Hinge, startups are disrupting the digital social scene.

Founders of these startups are tackling problems like loneliness, dating app fatigue, and general dissatisfaction with the current social media incumbents.

Some founders come from Big Tech backgrounds, like the Instagram-heavy team behind photo-sharing app Retro, or the ex-Google employees building the social-mapping app PamPam. Gen Z founders are also throwing their hats in the ring, like Isabella Epstein with her IRL-focused app Kndrd, and becoming content creators along the way.

Some venture capital funds — such as French firm Intuition VC or gaming-focused firm Patron — have made tackling loneliness and relationships part of their investment theses.

Startups like Khosla Ventures-backed Gigi, Yale-student-founded Series, Boardy, Filament, and Goodword have raised capital for AI tools to help people network better or maintain professional relationships.

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"When people think about loneliness, they think about friends and family," Goodword CEO Caroline Dell told Business Insider. "But we spend most of our waking hours at work as professionals."

Other startups, like social network Spill, have opened up investment rounds to include users themselves using the platform Wefunder.

Meet the founders of 11 startups competing with dating app giants like Tinder

It's not yet clear how many of these investments will pan out. Some startups are pre-revenue, while others are experimenting with monetization methods (such as freemium models).

"Founders have to be honest with themselves," said Marlon Nichols, a founding partner at Mac Venture Capital. "Some of them aren't really venture-scale or venture-type investments. We're looking for the next big thing, the next category leader."

Meet 19 startups in social networking, dating, and AI that investors have their eyes on