Co-Star Founders Launched Readme Dating App
The new iOS application uses artificial intelligence to match users based on their literary tastes.
Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Romance
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Co-Star founders Banu Guler and Emily Segal have launched Readme, a free dating app currently available on iOS. The platform utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze user preferences and sort individuals into specific reading archetypes.
Why it matters
The founders created Readme to help users find compatibility through their shared interest in literature and psycholinguistic patterns. The app is a new division under Co-Star, which was recently acquired by Midjourney.
The application requires a 25-question quiz for user onboarding and sorts participants into one of 12 reading archetypes. The service is currently free for all users on iOS devices.
The players
Banu Guler
She is a co-founder of the Co-Star platform and serves as the chief design officer of Midjourney.
Emily Segal
She is the co-founder of the Co-Star platform and the Readme dating app.
Midjourney
This is an artificial intelligence research laboratory that acquired the Co-Star platform.
Co-Star
This company provides astrology-based services and now functions as the parent entity for the Readme app.
The details
Readme matches users by employing psycholinguistics to analyze their language preferences and literary tastes. Users must complete an onboarding questionnaire to be categorized, and the app leverages artificial intelligence to catalog literary source material for its matching algorithm.
Timeline
Late 2025: Founders began discussing the concept for the app.
Early 2026: Prototyping for the application commenced.
July 2026: Banu Guler was appointed as chief design officer of Midjourney.
September 2026: Readme officially became available for download.
Culture Shift
The app follows a pattern set by the Hinge 'Designed to be deleted' algorithm by utilizing a specific niche—literary interest—to drive user matching. This reflects a broader trend of leveraging narrow psychographic data to differentiate dating platforms in a crowded market.
Users can currently download the app for free on iOS to begin the 25-question onboarding process. Because the platform may transition to a paid model in the future, early adopters might face costs for premium features as the service scales.
The takeaway
Users looking to try the app should prioritize the 25-question quiz to ensure their literary archetypes are accurately reflected in their matches. As the app relies on specific psycholinguistic analysis, honest and thoughtful responses are essential for achieving the best results.
Further reading
For more information on the evolving landscape of digital dating, visit the Romance section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The New York Times.
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