What Hawaya does

Hawaya was a mobile dating application founded in 2017 and headquartered operationally in Cairo, Egypt (with Hawaya, Inc. incorporated in Delaware, USA), built to help Muslim singles find life partners through a privacy-first, science-based matching approach. The platform was distributed globally via the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, supporting seven languages (English, French, German, Arabic, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay) and offering a core trust-and-safety differentiator: selfie verification using face geometry biometric data to confirm user identity.

The business model was a recurring auto-renewing subscription for premium dating features, monetizing a single consumer vertical segment (Muslim singles) at small scale (11-50 employees). Hawaya operated as part of the Match Group family of businesses, leveraging shared cross-platform safety infrastructure, data processing, customer care, marketing, and analytics support from Match Group affiliates. Despite this backing, the company was discontinued on February 15, 2023 at 15:00 CET, with user accounts deleted and auto-renewal subscriptions phased out; Match Group indicated it would continue serving Muslim singles through other portfolio brands.

The technology stack was a consumer mobile application with no disclosed public APIs, SDKs, or integrations. Core proprietary elements were limited to the selfie verification biometric flow and the Hawaya wordmark/brand identity. Funding was minimal: a $14,000 round in 2017 and a 2018 round with 500 Falcons. As of the knowledge cutoff, Hawaya is a closed business with no active operations.

Name

Hawaya

Legal name

Hawaya, Inc.

Website

https://hawaya.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hawaya was a mobile dating app founded in 2017 that served Muslim singles globally seeking life partners, using selfie verification and a privacy-first matching model under Match Group, before being discontinued in February 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Dating Platform

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Dating & Relationship Networks (BPAMABAF)

Keywords

• Mobile dating app
• Muslim matchmaking
• Online dating platform
• Relationship app
• Dating subscription service

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: Auto-renewing subscription model for premium dating features. Subscriptions were completely stopped on February 15, 2023 at 15:00 CET as part of the service discontinuation.

Distribution channels2 records

Core offering

Hawaya was a mobile dating application designed exclusively for Muslim singles seeking serious, marriage-oriented relationships and life partners. The app featured selfie-based identity verification, multi-language support across seven languages, and operated via auto-renewing subscription plans before the service was discontinued on February 15, 2023.

Product overview

Hawaya was a single unified mobile dating application designed specifically to serve Muslim singles seeking meaningful connections and life partners. The product consisted of a mobile app (available on iOS and Android) and an associated website. The company operated under Match Group and was headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Hawaya was officially discontinued on February 15, 2023, and is no longer accepting new registrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hawaya - Dating for Muslims Mobile dating application for iOS and Android exclusively designed for Muslim singles seeking serious, marriage-oriented relationships. Featured selfie-based identity verification, multi-language support across seven languages, privacy-first profile design, and auto-renewing subscription plans. Service was discontinued on February 15, 2023.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Match GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawaya is part of the Match Group family of businesses. Match Group considers the safety and security of users a top priority. User information may be shared across Match Group platforms to ensure safety, ban bad actors found on one platform on others, and provide cross-platform visibility. Match Group affiliates assist with data processing, customer care, marketing, analytics, and security operations.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Muzz (formerly Muzmatch): One of the largest Muslim-focused dating apps globally. Most directly comparable to Hawaya in target audience (Muslim singles seeking marriage), cultural/religious positioning, and swipe-based mobile dating model.
• Salams (formerly Minder): Muslim-focused dating app with similar value proposition around faith-aligned matchmaking. Directly competes for the same user base as Hawaya did.

Broad incumbents

• Tinder: Largest global dating app and Hawaya's sister brand under Match Group. Represents the broader-incumbent mass-market alternative that Muslim singles may default to.
• Hinge: Relationship-focused dating app and Match Group portfolio brand. Comparable in mobile-first dating product experience and subscription model.
• OkCupid: Match Group portfolio brand with strong algorithm-driven matching and inclusive orientation. Relevant peer for data-driven compatibility matching that Hawaya also emphasized.
• Match.com: Flagship Match Group brand focused on users seeking serious relationships. Comparable in serious-relationship positioning and subscription monetization.
• Bumble: Major mainstream dating app with subscription model and value-aligned positioning (women-message-first). Comparable in mobile-first dating product, subscription pricing, and global reach.
• eHarmony: Long-standing relationship-focused dating platform emphasizing compatibility matching. Comparable in life-partner positioning and algorithmic matching emphasis.
• EliteSingles: Premium dating platform targeting educated and value-driven singles. Comparable in subscription model and serious-relationship audience overlap.

Emerging players

• Coffee Meets Bagel: Curated daily-match dating app targeted at relationship-minded users. Comparable in algorithm-driven curation and serious-relationship positioning.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hawaya_app

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaya