Pressroom
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About Ari
Founded in June 2024 as a strategic spin-off from VIDA Select, a profitable 7-figure matchmaking business. The story is compelling: After 15 years helping thousands find love through VIDA Select, Scott Valdez witnessed firsthand how the loneliness epidemic was devastating millions of lives. With recent advances in AI, he saw an opportunity to transform VIDA's proven success—30,000+ successful interactions, 9,867 successful dates, and 1,898 happy couples—into an AI solution that could help millions at an affordable price. The data and expertise gained from VIDA Select's success forms the foundation of Ari's AI, ensuring advice is effective and grounded in real-world results.
Leadership
After experiencing firsthand the frustrations of online dating, Scott founded VIDA Select in 2009, quickly transforming it into a profitable 7-figure matchmaking business. Over 15 years, he pioneered data-driven approaches that achieved a 78% success rate, helping create nearly 2000 happy couples. Featured in major media, including CNN, Forbes, and The Washington Post, Scott's expertise in optimizing dating success laid the foundation for Ari. His experience building successful remote teams across 17 countries and scaling VIDA Select without external funding demonstrates his ability to grow businesses efficiently.
A serial entrepreneur and startup veteran, Alex brings deep expertise in scaling consumer technology companies. As Country Manager at Rappi and Senior VP at Betterfly, he led successful international expansions and achieved rapid growth in competitive markets. Previously, he co-founded YaEsta.com, Ecuador's pioneering e-commerce platform, revolutionizing online retail accessibility nationwide. His experience scaling unicorns and earning recognition from eCommerce Institute for ecosystem development makes him ideal for leading Ari's growth strategy.
With 14 years at VIDA Select, Catherine brings unparalleled expertise in dating operations and scaling personalized services. Her deep industry knowledge and experience in optimizing dating success for thousands of clients provide crucial insights for Ari's development and growth.
An AI and machine learning expert with over 8 years of experience developing sophisticated language models at companies like MarketMuse, Ulrich has led four startups to successful market launches. His deep expertise in building personalized AI systems and training complex models is crucial for developing Ari's advanced capabilities.
With three years leading technology at VIDA Select and Enamour, Todd brings critical domain expertise to Ari. He formerly founded Staunch Robots, a successful 7-figure consultancy connecting Silicon Valley companies with top engineering talent from Eastern Europe and Latin America. His technical leadership and experience building high-performance engineering teams positions him perfectly to architect Ari's sophisticated AI platform.
