Souli AI

Reimagining love in the age of AI.
Now in Beta — mindful dating powered by emotional-intelligence AI.
Founder @vivilinsv
Join the Beta 💗

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

We’re proud of our co-founder & CEO @vivilinsv for presenting Souli AI at the Global AI Pitch Summit this week. 💛🤖

Souli is building the next generation of dating:
✨ AI that understands your emotions
✨ A coach that grows with you
✨ One focused match at a time
✨ Dating with heart — not with endless swipes
Try our Love Superpower Test:
👉 https://t.co/ogWNNI9on2
Join the Souli Beta:
👉 https://t.co/fxpU9dUlrC
#AI #MindfulDating #TechWithSoul #SouliAI #Startups

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

Just shared my full 2-minute pitch for @Souli_AI at the Global AI Pitch Summit in Silicon Valley. 🎤✨
Dating apps are optimized for engagement, not connection.
Souli is our answer:
🤖 Emotional-intelligence AI
🧠 Personalized memory
💛 Self-understanding → real connection
🌙 One focused match at a time
We’re building mindful dating for the AI era.

Click the links in thread to join our early community. 😊🌷

Huge thanks to lovely Sophie Ren @Stanford & Dr. @PaulFangBayArea at Bay Area Founders Club communities for the invitation and support.

#AI #SouliAI #MindfulDating #TechWithSoul #FoundersOfTheFuture

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

In a world where intimacy can be bought, simulated, or optimized, real human connection is becoming more precious than ever.

The deeper story behind paid companionship is not just sex. It is loneliness. It is the hunger to be seen, desired, understood, and emotionally held — without always knowing how to build that in a healthy way.

At https://t.co/NlgsPAumlm, we believe technology should not replace human intimacy.

It should help people understand themselves better, communicate with more honesty, date with more intention, and build relationships that are safe, mutual, and emotionally real.

AI can start a conversation.

But love still requires two humans willing to show up.

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

https://t.co/5LVEOBFsXo

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

What happens when the oldest moral voice on Earth meets the newest technology?

I unpacked the Pope’s historic encyclical & @AnthropicAI 's vision of "loving grace".

The bottomline - human dignity is larger than any algorithm & machines.

What are your thoughts? Do share pls...😉

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@vivilinsv That's why it's so important to date with heart. All the superficial things will fade away, but the essence will stay.

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

Rumi 是我最喜欢的诗人之一，来自波斯。他的很多诗都非常有禅意和哲理。

今天我看到这句话 - 像树一样，让枯叶随风而去。有种说不出来的释然。

很多时候，我们非常努力的想抓住生命中的很多东西 - 感情，金钱，美貌，时间，机会 。。。但是自然和宇宙自然有它的规律，我们控制不了的东西，就随他而起。Let it go, let it go ...

枯叶落去的背后，新鲜的嫩叶迎头而上，顺应生活的潮流，四季都有不同的精彩。

和大家一起共勉，生活多点禅意和mindfullness, 更加美好。😇

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@vivilinsv Great list - worth saving :)

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

Would you date someone without knowing their age? And deeper than that: does age really matter in love?

I recently came across Netflix’s dating show "Age of Attraction", where people date each other without knowing one of the most basic “filters” we usually apply almost instantly: age.

It sounds like a reality TV gimmick, but the question behind it is actually fascinating. Because age is never just a number - Age carries assumptions.

We hear someone is 25, 35, 45, or 55, and immediately we start filling in the blanks: life stage, fertility, maturity, lifestyle, financial stability, emotional baggage, future plans, social status, even desirability.

Sometimes those assumptions are useful. A 25-year-old and a 45-year-old may genuinely be in very different places when it comes to marriage, children, career, energy, and worldview.

But sometimes those assumptions become a cage.

We may dismiss someone before discovering their emotional intelligence, curiosity, depth, humor, tenderness, or capacity to love.

What I find interesting is how differently cultures treat age in dating.

In many Asian cultures, age can still be tied closely to marriage timing, family expectations, fertility pressure, and “appropriate” life stages. A woman’s age is often judged more harshly than a man’s. A man who is older may be seen as stable; a woman who is older may be unfairly treated as “past her prime.”

In Western dating culture, there is often more language around individual choice, chemistry, and personal freedom. But even there, age gaps are not free from judgment. Older men dating younger women are normalized in some circles, criticized in others. Older women dating younger men are increasingly visible, but still often treated as a statement rather than simply a relationship.

So the real question is not only: “Does age matter?”

The better question may be: What exactly are we using age to measure?

Are we measuring maturity? Life goals? Power dynamics? Fertility? Social approval? Shared cultural references? Emotional readiness?

Or are we simply using age as a shortcut because true compatibility is harder to evaluate?

In dating, age can matter. But it should not matter alone.

A healthy relationship still needs aligned values, emotional maturity, mutual respect, attraction, timing, and the ability to build a life together.

Maybe age is just a clue. And like all clues, it needs context.

Not caring about age at all, and letting age replace discernment - both are dangerous!

So I’ll ask again: Would you date someone without knowing their age? And if the connection felt real, when would you want to know? 😉

Do you think people should only date people their age?

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@bip171 Let's talk ... hhaha!

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

Human-AI relationships are going to be one of the key relationships for us. Treating AI with politeness and kindness will make us better humans, and might also have a positive influence on the future AIs.

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

Should we say “thank you” to AI?

As AGI gets closer, this question is no longer just about manners or prompt engineering. It’s about what kind of humans we become when we interact with intelligent systems every day.

My latest column explores why the way we treat AI may say less about AI’s consciousness — and more about our own humanity.

What do you think - would you be more polite to your AI after you read this? Happy to discuss more with you all. 🫶

#AI #AGI #HumanAI #TechWithSoul

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@vivilinsv Interesting take on why Asian girls are popular in the U.S. 😊

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

Submitted @Souli_AI to a16z Speedrun today.

Honestly, we are still early.

The product is live, but not yet as polished as I want it to be. We are still fixing bugs, improving the UX, learning from users, and iterating toward the next version.

But I didn’t want to wait until everything felt “ready” to challenge ourselves.

Part of being a founder, I’m learning, is putting yourself in the arena before you feel fully prepared - not because you’re careless, but because the process itself teaches you what matters.

@speedrun 's initial application is much lighter than YC’s. But one thing stood out: they ask whether you have an internal referral. And @andrewchen specifically said it matters.

Of course, it makes sense. When there are so many applications, trust and network signals help people know where to look.

So I started knocking on doors.

I reached out to people I knew around the a16z / Speedrun ecosystem. I asked friends. I asked advisors. I sent messages and emails. Some people didn’t reply. Some were probably too busy. Some may have thought we were too early.

That’s part of the job.

Fundraising and accelerator applications are not just about having a polished deck. They test your resilience, humility, and willingness to ask.

And finally, I knocked on the right door.

A female serial founder and angel investor - someone who has built, exited, been backed by @a16z, and is now building again with @OpenAI support — agreed to refer us.

I was genuinely moved and will forever feel grateful for her support.

There is something very powerful about women supporting women, founders supporting founders, and people opening doors when you are still at the beginning.

Maybe one day, when I look back, this will feel like a very small episode.

But today, it feels meaningful.

I’m grateful for every person who replied, encouraged, advised, referred, or simply gave me a little courage along the way.

Building a startup is hard. But these moments of support make the journey feel warmer, more human, and more worthwhile.

Now back to shipping.

Souli AI is still early — but we’re in the arena. 💗

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

Human-AI relationships will be one of the most important relationships in human history - it's not only about them, it is also about us!

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

https://t.co/BKnmSMJYXp

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@karolineleavitt Huge congrats!!! Viviana is so cute and wish her a great life ahead.

[Vivi @vivilinsv]

Founders, are you embarrassed by the first version of your product?

I am, but I carry on!

Today, I submitted @Souli_AI Souli AI to @ycombinator Summer 2026 right before the deadline — with a product that is real, live, and still very much imperfect.

As @garrytan wrote today: the companies that change the world don’t wait until they’re 100% ready.

That line hit me.

I used to be almost a perfectionist, probably from my years as a TV journalist. Before presenting anything to the world, I wanted every word, every frame, every detail to feel ready.

Now as a founder, that instinct shows up differently.
I want the product to be more polished; UX to be cleaner, more features to be live, fewer bugs; story to be sharper...

But then there’s the famous Reid Hoffman quote:
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”

I finally understand it now. It does not mean you should ship something careless.

It means you should not let perfection become a sophisticated form of procrastination.

Souli AI is building an AI-native relationship intelligence platform — starting with an AI matchmaker that helps people find love, and eventually stay in love.

Our MVP is live. Users are testing it. The team is still fixing bugs and deploying changes. And we’re opening another 100 internal testing seats to learn from the people who matter most: our users.

Preparing for YC already made us sharper. It forced us to clarify our wedge, our user pain, our product loop, our market ambition, and why this needs to exist now.

The founder journey is a lot like dating:
Stay open.
Stay persistent.
Receive feedback.
Don’t be afraid of rejection.

The right fit matters. The right people will get it eventually.

Until then: keep shipping, keep learning, keep growing. 🚀

(p.s. Our demo and founder video are all done, thanks to YC's push, will share if you're interested to work with us. DMs are open😀)

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@mu_xia6666 @vivilinsv @nikitabier Such a scary film 🫣 😱 🙈😉

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

@vivilinsv @nikitabier It's like Phoenix reborn, coming back from the death! We 'll have great news for you all soon. 😇🫶 Thank you all for your love and support!

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

Good news: @Souli_AI has been restored and unsuspended. 😊

Thank you @nikitabier & X support team for reviewing and resolving this. We’re grateful to be back building Souli — an AI-powered matchmaker helping people find love and staying in love.

Love wins. 🌹

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

You ghost someone because it's easier than saying "I'm not interested." But easier for whom?

Researchers at the University of Georgia found that people who were ghosted reported feelings strikingly similar to ambiguous grief — the mourning of a loss without closure. The brain can process rejection. What it cannot process is the absence of information. The silence becomes a screen onto which every insecurity is projected.

Leah LeFebvre's research on ghosting found that the most common reason people ghost isn't cruelty — it's avoidance of emotional discomfort. They don't want to hurt someone, so they choose an option that hurts more.

Bowlby's attachment framework explains why ghosting is so uniquely painful: the attachment system activates in the absence of the attachment figure. Without a clear signal that the bond is over, the brain keeps searching — replaying conversations, checking the phone, looking for what went wrong.

A text saying "I don't see this working" takes thirty seconds and gives someone their dignity back.

Silence isn't kindness. It's cowardice dressed as consideration.

#mindfuldating #souliai #datingadvice

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

🩵 Souli Daily #68 — The Bid You Keep Missing

He says "look at this sunset" and she doesn't look up from her phone. It seems like nothing. It is everything.

John Gottman calls these moments "bids for connection" — small, everyday attempts to engage the other person emotionally. A touch on the shoulder. A shared joke. A "how was your day" that actually wants an answer.

In his landmark study of newlyweds, Gottman tracked couples over six years. The couples still together had responded to each other's bids 86% of the time. The divorced couples? Just 33%.

The difference between lasting love and slow erosion isn't the grand gestures. It's the micro-moments — the turning toward instead of turning away. Every bid is a tiny question: "Do you see me right now?" And every response is an answer that accumulates over years into either trust or neglect.

Most relationships don't end with a bang. They end with a thousand unanswered bids — a thousand small moments where someone reached out and found no one reaching back.

The next time someone you love says something small, treat it like something big. Because it is.

#mindfuldating #souliai #relationships

[Souli AI @Souli_AI]

There's a difference between choosing someone and choosing to stay. One is a decision. The other is a practice.

Harville Hendrix's Imago Relationship Therapy found that the initial choice of a partner is largely unconscious — driven by childhood templates and unresolved needs. But the choice to stay, to work through disillusionment, to show up when the projection fades and a real, flawed human remains — that is the most conscious act love requires.

Hendrix argues that real love begins where infatuation ends. The power struggle phase — when partners discover their differences and feel betrayed by them — isn't the death of the relationship. It's the beginning of it.

Most people leave at this stage, believing the love has died. The research says the love was never born yet. It was waiting for both people to stop performing and start being real.

Choosing someone is easy. Choosing them again when the illusion breaks — that's love.

#souliai #mindfuldating #relationships