Interview with Laura Matter

Laura Matter, founder of Noii, is rethinking modern dating by shifting the focus away from endless swiping and back to real-life, meaningful encounters. The platform connects people through curated offline experiences, creating space for genuine human connection in an increasingly digital world. In this interview, Laura shares the toughest decisions behind the scenes of founding a company, her perspective on decisive leadership, and why speed matters more than perfection for founders today.

What was the toughest decision at noii that hardly anyone on the outside noticed?

Our pivot from online to offline dating. People eventually noticed the change, but what they don’t see is how long such a process actually takes—and how psychologically challenging it is. Another very difficult moment was parting ways with a potential co-founder. And then there was the year-long search for the right co-founders. You really underestimate how long that process can take.

Women are often said to hesitate when it comes to tough decisions. You prove the opposite: what helps you personally make radical cuts, and what advice would you give other female founders?

I actually think it’s a strength that many women try to look at things from multiple perspectives—even if that sometimes leads to a longer decision-making process. What helps me is reminding myself that speed is everything in startup life. If you move too slowly, that’s the death of your startup. So, honestly—I just scare myself a little, and then I act.

Why is making bold, decisive choices essential for founders today?

Speed is the most important thing. And you can only be fast if you make decisions.

Perfectionism—especially in the early stages—is your biggest enemy.

Laura Matter is the co-founder and CEO of noii, a video chat-based dating platform. noii combines sophisticated algorithms with psychological expertise to find suitable partners and then enables people to take part in a video chat speed dating session. The 26-year-old grew up near Winterthur and founded noii land AG together with her two co-founders in 2022. Her professional background is in the marketing industry, where she most recently worked in a social media agency.

Today, noii has over 60,000 users, mainly from Zurich, and has also been offering weekly offline events for singles since 2023. noii is making today’s dating world more real and authentic again by combining video dating and offline events. To date, the noii team has secured CHF 1.5 million in capital from external investors, including an incredible CHF 1.2 million via crowd-investing in June 2024.