Company details

HEADCOUNT

25-99

ORG TYPE

Startup

SECTOR

Technology & Digital

WEBSITE

https://www.smitten.co

About the company

Smitten is a Reykjavík-based dating app company (Smitten ehf.) building a gamified “make it fun” dating experience across Nordic markets. The company raised a $10M Series A in September 2022 to expand into new markets and grow the team. Public job ads put a lot of weight on culture, feedback habits, and office energy, with some flexibility for focus days away from the office. Smitten’s positioning blends dating, gaming, and entertainment with a strong emphasis on conversation-starting features.

Locations and presence

Smitten is headquartered in Reykjavík and has hired roles in Iceland and Denmark (including Copenhagen). Product focus and marketing presence are strongly Nordics-oriented, with expansion framed around new markets post-funding.

Palpable Score

62.1

/ 100

Smitten is a credible early-career option if you want a small team with fast ownership and clear expectations, especially in marketing and growth-adjacent roles. The score is capped because pay ranges are rarely public and the hiring process stages are not described clearly enough for first-time applicants.

Pillar 1: Early-career access

Score

11.0

/ 20

The company has hired a Marketing Specialist Student Assistant (part time, Copenhagen), which is a genuine student and early-career entry point.
Smitten has also posted a Junior-friendly “general application” route alongside frequent specialist hiring, which can help strong grads get considered outside a single open role.
The company’s most visible listings skew toward experienced ownership roles (for example Machine Learning Engineer owning recommender systems), so 0–3 year access is present but not consistent across functions.

Pillar 2: Hiring fairness and transparency

Score

12.0

/ 20

The company signals predictable admin basics like “rolling basis” review in job ads, which at least tells candidates not to wait for a fixed deadline.
Smitten does not publicly spell out interview stages, timelines, or what a “good” case task looks like, which leaves early-career applicants guessing how to prepare.
The company does publish unusually concrete role expectations in some ads (for example month-by-month deliverables for an AI/ML Developer), which is a transparency win even without a full hiring-playbook.

Pillar 3: Learning and support

Score

14.3

/ 20

The company uses explicit ramp expectations in at least one technical role (what you’ll deliver within one month, three months, six months, and a year), which is a real onboarding structure signal.
Smitten repeatedly frames feedback, communication, and “becoming exceptional at giving and receiving feedback” as part of the work, which is practical support if leaders reinforce it day to day.
The company does not publish simple early-career mechanics like buddying, weekly 1:1 cadence, or a training budget for junior roles, so support signals are strong in wording but uneven in operational detail.

Pillar 4: Pay fairness and stability

Score

11.8

/ 20

The company includes stability and upside signals like a stock option plan in at least one full-time role, plus employer-provided equipment.
Smitten also lists concrete day-to-day benefits in job ads like free lunch and snacks and semi-flexible working hours, which matter for early-career quality of life.
The company rarely shares salary ranges publicly, so pay fairness is hard to assess before late-stage conversations.

Pillar 5: Early-career outcomes

Score

13.0

/ 20

The company is listed as a certified workplace on Great Place to Work Iceland’s “Vottuð fyrirtæki” page, which is a stronger-than-average external signal on employee experience for a small startup.
Smitten has a clear growth catalyst (a $10M Series A earmarked for team growth and expansion), which tends to create internal opportunity, but does not guarantee retention.
The company’s LinkedIn footprint shows a small team (dozens of employees) but public promotion stories, junior-to-mid progression examples, and 12–24 month retention evidence are not documented.