Feb 15, 2022 - Economy

Peter Thiel backs conservative dating app The Right Stuff

Sara Fischer

Donald Trump shakes Peter Thiel hands before taking office at Trump Tower in December 2016. — Donald Trump shakes Peter Thiel hands at Trump Tower before taking office in December 2016. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Peter Thiel is injecting $1.5 million into a seed round for a new conservative dating app called "The Right Stuff," a source familiar with the funding tells Axios.

The big picture: Conservatives have been aggressively building their own apps, phones, cryptocurrencies and publishing houses in an attempt to circumvent what they see as an increasingly liberal internet and media ecosystem.

Details: The app, which is expected to launch this summer in Washington D.C., will be invite-only to start.

While it isn't political itself, the app will be catered to conservatives living primarily in big, progressive cities.
It will look and feel like any other standard dating app. For the time being, it will only launch on the iOS mobile operating system.
The app will be free for users to start, but eventually the company plans to introduce a subscription tier.

Between the lines: The person behind the app is former Trump political aide John McEntee. Asked for comment, McEntee said, "We’re excited to launch The Right Stuff dating app this summer. Conservatives deserve an easy way to connect."

Be smart: Thiel, who until recently was a board member of Facebook parent Meta, has previously invested in Rumble, a YouTube alternative that's used by conservatives.

The New York Times first reported on Monday that Thiel was backing the app as a part of a wider effort to also finance "hard-right" candidates with Trumpian views.

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Peter Thiel backs conservative dating app The Right Stuff

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