Catfish, Be Gone: The Dating App That Makes Spontaneous, Authentic Connections

The Short Version: The dating app RAW encourages spontaneous connections and banishes catfish with its in-the-moment photo feature. We spoke to RAW’s co-founder, Marina Anderson, about RAW’s unique take on dating apps and how authenticity is the best way to start a relationship. 

It may be time for me to admit that I’m expecting too much from dating apps. I’m tired of swiping through the same 20 profiles, of responding to the same corny pickup lines, and of seeing the same genre of selfie (you know the kind — it involves a dirty mirror and nary a smile in sight) on my feed. Have dating apps lost their edge? 

Not if the dating app RAW has a say. RAW combines modern dating app features with the old-school techniques that have worked for hundreds of years. Meet-cutes can happen from behind a screen, but only if you trust RAW’s process. Marina Anderson, RAW’s co-founder, referred to RAW’s approach as “simple but subversive.” 

“We’re taking a completely different approach [to dating apps] with features like our AI assistant, real-time double photos, and anti-ghosting system, which are really pushing dating into the future,” she told us.

It takes confidence and a certain swagger to post an in-the-moment selfie of yourself onto a dating app. But that’s what RAW is all about: owning your authentic self, whatever it may look like. 

We’ve all learned to take the “truth” with a grain of salt in online settings, including on dating apps. The fact is, exaggerations and embellishments don’t make for strong and authentic relationships. Thankfully, RAW’s goal — which you can probably deduce from its name — is to change the status quo. 

RAW’s defining feature is its double-camera shots. If you want to check out potential matches, you have to take a selfie at that very moment and upload it to the feed. You also must take a photo of your surroundings. “So you’re not just seeing a staged selfie — you’re seeing what someone actually looks like and what they’re doing right now,” Marina explained. 

This approach ensures that everyone you see on the app is just as invested in finding an interesting match as you are, so much so that they’re confident taking a spontaneous photo of themselves and the room they’re in. This way, you get an authentic glimpse at their real life. 

As Marina explained, “Maybe they’re having coffee with friends, walking their dog, or just chilling at home. But it’s real, it’s unfiltered, and it’s happening now.”

Without filters or curated perfection, you get people in their everyday, average forms. Not that “average” is a bad thing; in this case, average people are the epitome of sexy, because they’re showing off their most authentic selves. 

“And when everyone’s being real, it creates this environment where authentic connections can actually happen,” Marina pointed out. “It’s about bringing dating back to what it should be: real people meeting real people.” Emphasis on “real people”; RAW’s approach makes life much more difficult for scammers and catfish. 

The in-the-moment double camera shots makes it nearly impossible for people to pretend they’re someone else. Marina assured us that RAW has considered other classic catfish tactics as well. “You can’t upload old photos, and you can’t use someone else’s pictures,” she said. And if you want to try finding a loophole to this rule, good luck getting past RAW’s moderators. “We’ve got both automation and human moderators making sure everything stays legitimate and safe.”

“And when everyone’s being real, it creates this environment where authentic connections can actually happen.”

You can rest easy knowing RAW’s strict guidelines protect against scammers and catfish to the best of its ability. “[You] can focus on what dating should really be about: finding new connections, feeling those butterflies, and falling in love,” Marina said.

There’s no time to waste when it comes to crafting charming conversations on RAW. The minute you upload your in-the-moment pic, you get access to everyone else’s pics, which is when you can start messaging (i.e. flirting) your way to a match. But unlike on other dating apps, you can’t just hop back and forth between 10 different conversations. 

The Ghosting Killer feature limits the number of conversations you can ignore on the app. Once you swipe “yes” on someone, expect to converse with them. Rejection is always a possibility, just like on any dating app. “Being direct might feel uncomfortable sometimes, but it’s so much better than leaving someone hanging forever,” Marina explained. 

She added, “If you start a conversation with someone, you need to either see it through or have the courtesy to explain why you’re not feeling it.” 

Ghosting just makes the process more confusing. Wouldn’t you rather someone be up front with you? RAW’s vendetta against ghosting began when the people behind the app conducted their own research about common dating app pitfalls. 

“Eighty-two percent of people reported being ghosted at least once, and almost 78% experienced complete dating app burnout,” Marina told us. The data was clear: People are tired of being strung along. “[Ghosting] was something they were really vocal about,” she added. 

She continued, “When we tested our Ghosting Killer feature, we saw 92% of women and 99% of men keep their unanswered chats to just 0-4 conversations.” On RAW, you can engage in a manageable number of chats that can go much deeper than the average dating app convo. 

If you ghost solely because you feel inadequate behind a keyboard, RAW’s AI dating assistant, RAW Q, could help. “We wanted something completely different — an AI that’s actually part of the dating journey. It gets to know you, understands your vibe, and sees how you interact with people.”

RAW Q can create fun icebreakers, adjust your tone, and generally “level up your communication game,” as Marina put it. 

Some people see a screen as a mask to hide bad behavior behind. RAW encourages users to be on their best behavior, just as you would be on a real date in a real-life setting. “You wouldn’t just walk away mid-conversation at a coffee shop, it’s not how it’s done,” Marina pointed out. 

With an AI dating assistant and the Ghosting Killer feature, it’s unlikely you’ll experience burnout on RAW. After all, there’s far less swiping, and far fewer one-sided conversations. “Instead of juggling many half-hearted conversations, people focus on meaningful ones,” Marina explained. 

You save so much time and energy when you don’t have to peel away filters, decipher cryptic messages, or juggle dead-end chats. RAW’s in-the-moment double-camera shots and intentional conversations come together to establish real, undeniable connections you can build a relationship on. 

“We wanted to bring back what dating is supposed to be about: Real human connection and the spontaneous feeling of meeting someone in real life,” Marina told us. How can you have an IRL meet cute via a dating app, you ask? You must be willing to toss your insecurities out the window.

“Instead of surface-level small talk or playing games, daters are having real conversations, sharing authentic moments from their days, and building connections based on who they truly are.”

We all dream (or at least I do) of experiencing that classic rom-com meet cute at least once in our lives. RAW makes these meet cutes possible, even if you and your beau aren’t in the same room. “In real life, you meet someone, there’s a spark, and you get to know them naturally. That’s exactly what we’re recreating with RAW’s real-time photos,” Marina told us. 

Seeing someone’s real life photos, taken wherever they happened to be in that moment, creates “this foundation of trust and authenticity right from the start,” Marina explained. Getting a glimpse into someone’s life is always going to generate intimacy. 

“Instead of surface-level small talk or playing games, daters are having real conversations, sharing authentic moments from their days, and building connections based on who they truly are,” she said. “That’s what real relationships are built on.”

Marina told us how the app’s dedication to facilitating real love connections has made its guidelines even stricter, to the benefit of the user. “When users can’t just collect matches and ghost people, they naturally become more intentional about who they connect with and how they communicate,” she said.

This sincere approach may feel uncomfortable at first. Exposing your face and your soul to people on a dating app is intimidating in a world where deceit can get you farther than authenticity. But Marina made it clear that people are more than ready to get vulnerable if it means potentially finding their soulmate. 

“While we’re seeing strong adoption among 18-25 and 25-35 year olds, RAW is really for anyone who’s tired of traditional dating apps,” Marina explained. RAW is disrupting the norm and shaking up what Marina called a “stagnant” industry.

“We’re creating something new here,” she told us. “It’s amazing to see how many people, regardless of their age, are resonating with our vision of what modern dating should be like.”