In an age when technology connects more people than ever before, loneliness remains one of the defining issues of modern life. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely despite unprecedented digital access to others. To address this growing crisis and launch a new chapter in his biography, Dmitry Borisovich Volkov, founder of Social Discovery Group (SDG), has announced the launch of SDG Lab, a corporate venture studio dedicated to reshaping the future of digital communication and human connection.
SDG Lab aims to invest in and accelerate startups that use AI, CareTech / AgeTech, and social discovery technologies to redefine how people meet, interact, and form emotional bonds in digital environments. The initiative represents a major strategic expansion for the company — the world’s third-largest social discovery company, known for its portfolio of more than 60 online communication platforms including Dating.com, DateMyAge, AmoLatina, AsianDate, Cupid Media, Dil Mil, and Kiseki.
“We are entering a new phase of digital evolution where technology doesn’t just connect people — it helps them feel seen, heard, and understood,” said Dmitry Volkov, Founder of SDG. “We invest in SDG Lab as a platform that brings together entrepreneurs committed to redefining modern life through virtual intimacy and meaningful emotional connection.”
SDG Lab functions as a hands-on partner rather than a passive investor. Beyond funding, it offers portfolio companies access to SDG’s global ecosystem of 1,200+ experts across marketing, AI engineering, product development, legal, and compliance. Founders also gain exposure to SDG’s network of over 500 million users in 150 countries, enabling startups to test, scale, and refine products within a proven international infrastructure.
The venture studio simplifies the fundraising process with clear stages for seed investment, MVP development, and growth capital, ensuring that promising ideas evolve into sustainable, scalable businesses.
Among SDG Lab’s first investments are:
- AstroLove – a dating platform that connects users through astrological compatibility.
- Kiseki – Japan’s first digital romance platform, connecting Japanese singles with international partners.
- Terra – an AI-powered marketing automation tool designed to increase user engagement and retention.
- The One – an AI communication assistant that enhances online conversations through intelligent suggestions.
- VR Chat&Date – a virtual reality dating platform transforming standard video calls into immersive, lifelike experiences.
- EmotionsClub – an entertainment product of AI-generated visual novels
- New Circle – pier-to-pier emotional support platform
- Flirtual (MVP) – roleplaying with AI personas
Each startup aligns with SDG Lab’s core mission: to build digital ecosystems where technology fosters genuine human connection.
Founded by Dmitry Borisovich Volkov, a serial entrepreneur, investor, and philosopher, the company has spent more than two decades at the forefront of digital communication. The company’s platforms focus on global community building, helping users discover meaningful relationships beyond geographic and cultural boundaries.
Under entrepreneur Dmitry Volkov’s leadership, SDG has evolved from a pioneering dating network into a multi-brand technology group that views loneliness as a solvable problem through innovation. Volkov’s background — which combines a Ph.D. in philosophy with executive education from Harvard Business School and UC Berkeley — has informed SDG’s human-centered approach to digital connection.
Tackling Loneliness at Scale
Loneliness is not just a feeling, it is a public-health issue that touches every age group and culture. Dmitry Volkov co-founded Dating Group and evolved it into Social Discovery Group, bringing a philosopher’s precision to tech: define problems clearly, test rigorously, deliver impact.His platforms already reach more than 500 million people in 150 countries, giving researchers and product teams real-time insight into how strangers become friends online. By combining behavioral data with plain empathy, he believes that smart design can turn digital spaces into welcoming communities where users feel heard rather than lost in the crowd.
A Launchpad for New Ideas
The venture studio model provides a clear path from prototype to global rollout. Startups receive seed funding, help building a minimum-viable product, and later growth capital, and all from a single source. Just as important, they tap into a network of 1,200 specialists across marketing, engineering, and compliance, plus the ability to pilot features inside a family of more than 60 live products. That means a small team can validate an idea with millions of users in weeks instead of years. For the wider ecosystem, every successful test feeds new tools and best practices back into the core portfolio, reinforcing a cycle of learning.
Looking Ahead
Outside of Social Discovery Group, Dmitry Volkov is a person who balances his academic background and entrepreneurship by considering technology as a social experiment with quantifiable objectives. The fact that he is now concentrated on AI, VR/AR, and real-time translation can be attributed to a simple idea: the more powerful the tools, the more profound the dialogue. He is a digital nomad, so he learns the local culture directly and then incorporates those insights into product strategy. Whether guiding early-stage founders or refining long-running apps, Dmitry Volkov of Dating Group makes its mission a priority: to create digital space, where authenticity, safety, and true connection are prioritized. With this approach, he turns innovation into a practical answer to one of today’s most universal challenges.
About Social Discovery Group
Dmitry Volkov’s Social Discovery Group (SDG) is a global leader in social discovery and communication technology, uniting more than 60 brands and 500 million users across 150 countries. The company’s mission is to create digital environments that help people overcome loneliness and form authentic connections through AI, video, and immersive experiences.
About Dmitry Borisovich Volkov
Serial entrepreneur, investor in AI, founder of SDG, the 3rd largest social discovery company in the world.
Dmitry has worked with more than 20 VCs. He has served on the board of several startups and continues to contribute to the development of SDG while advising and nurturing other ventures.
Dmitry has completed Executive Education programs at Harvard Business School and the University of California, Berkeley. He also has a Ph.D. in philosophy and is the author of two books on problems of consciousness and free will in analytical philosophy. He is a Co-founder of the International Center for Consciousness Studies (ICCS) – a non-profit cultural association whose aim is to promote international philosophical and interdisciplinary research of mind and consciousness.
Dmitry is a true Digital Nomad with European citizenship.
