we're living in the most connected era in history… and a lot of people have never felt more alone.
most dating apps don't help. They train us to make quick judgments, move on faster, and treat people like options. You can match with hundreds of people and still feel like nothing real is happening. The tools we've used to connect are often the same tools that numb our ability to actually connect with ourselves and each other.
Stars Align exists to change that.
we believe healthy love starts with self-knowledge. When you understand your patterns, you can understand how you attach, how you communicate, and what you need. You date better. You choose more consciously. You hurt people less. You build something that can last.
that's where astrology comes in (not as a party trick, or as a stereotypical box to put someone in) but as a shared language for reflection. Astrology is a way to get curious about your own story and the relational dynamics you keep repeating. Used well, it invites honesty, open-mindedness, and emotional intelligence, the things that actually make relationships work.
So we're redesigning online dating, with depth.
Stars Align moves the reward system away from collecting matches and toward what really matters: getting to know someone. We use astrology to gamify the parts of dating that normally feel awkward or surface-level, by starting a conversation, asking better questions, and understanding differences before you meet in person.
our mission is simple: to help people understand themselves, connect more deeply, and find real love.
when people feel less isolated, when relationships are healthier, and when love feels more possible, life opens back up. Families form, communities strengthen, and the future stops feeling so fragile. In a world where relationships are breaking down and birth rates are falling across the developed world, we believe a deeper connection is a cultural necessity.
we're building Stars Align for the people who are tired of swiping…
… and ready for something real.
meet
Grace McGrade
Co-founder, Head Astrologer and Creative Director
born in London and raised in Los Angeles, Grace left behind a modeling career in 2016 to pursue spiritual studies at Findhorn, an esoteric school in the north of Scotland. It was there, that she fell in love with astrology. Later, she discovered her aunt had been a practitioner all along, secretly writing horoscopes under a pseudonym for The Scottish Herald.
with over a decade of experience in Astrological counseling and Reiki, Grace McGrade is an esteemed astrologer and writer, best known for her contributions to DAZED magazine. With expertise in translating esoteric concepts to contemporary audiences, Grace specializes in natal chart analysis and transit readings, imparting her wisdom on upcoming cycles.
driven by a desire to understand the dynamics in her dating life, Grace primarily used astrology as a tool to uncover more about her counterparts and crushes, analyzing why some connections worked and others didn’t. From that point forward, she was compelled to use astrology as a way to uncover the hidden workings and inner worlds of people she dated, while doing the same for her clients. She began to notice a pattern. Attachment wounds, gender divisiveness, and a general attitude of apathy had made modern dating almost impossible. People seemed to need love more than ever, yet had gotten accustomed to disguising their needs.
Thomas Rutherfoord
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Thomas was born in Charlottesville, VA and grew up in Washington, DC.
after studying English Literature and getting a degree in Finance in London, Thomas pursued a career in insurance working at a large carrier in New York as an underwriter and thereafter at an insurance brokerage as a producer.
Thomas first tried dating apps in 2017, but found the models to emphasize what we are on paper rather than who we are as people, prioritizing superficiality over substance.
during 2020 when society was flipped on its head and forced isolation was the new norm, and as social media became a primary source of human connection, Thomas felt a starker sense of loneliness than he had before, met with comparison to others within a system encouraging vanity and consumption.
it was then that he sought therapy, getting into self compassion and cognitive behavioral science and taking a Jungian approach to integrate his shadow and to rewire his self concept.
he fell into astrology on a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, learning about himself from a new lens and finding the age-old practice not only deep and fascinating but also comprising methods of psychology practiced today.
to marry the online dating process, and within it the foundation of what drives human connection, to a timeless practice of building self awareness and establishing connection to a greater unified source that is astrology was the reason for starting Star Align.
