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Category: Bristlr

The Rise of Niche Dating Apps in Tinder Era

Posted on February 13, 2019

VOGUE Muddymatches logo– Feb 12 – In an increasingly crowded market, a new generation of niche apps are going a step further by homing in on specific requirements that narrow down the dating pool drastically. "I've found that people from similar backgrounds tend to stick together," says Lydia Davis, founder of Toffee, the world's first dating app for the privately educated. Davis set up Toffee in 2018 with the aim of connecting people on the posher end of the spectrum. In nine months, the app has gained 25K subscribers in the UK and there are plans to expand into new markets including Australia, India and Nigeria. "In the UK, 8% of people are privately educated but in Australia that number is 35%. In India, it's 38%. The Inner Circle, an exclusive dating app launched in Amsterdam in 2012, is now active in 30 cities and has 1.4M members. Users are screened using their Facebook and LinkedIn before being allowed to join, though the required criteria remains a closely guarded secret. Not so with Luxy, a dating app for the super-rich where users are encouraged to verify their income by submitting their tax returns. Location and lifestyle are also important factors for niche dating platforms. In 2006, sisters Lucy Reeves and Emma Royall set up Muddy Matches, a dating site for "country-minded people". In fact, there's a dating app for everyone. Twindog is for dog lovers, Bristlr is for those with facial hair, Gluten Free Singles, JSwipe, Hater, a dating app that determines compatibility based on the things people hate, Donald Daters, etc.

by Radhika Seth
See full article at Vogue

See all posts on Toffee                        See all posts on Luxy
See all posts on The Inner Circle           See all posts on MuddyMatches

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M14 Scored 80K On BBC2’s Dragons’ Den Show

Posted on February 20, 2017

M14 industries logoBQLIVE.CO.UK – Feb 20 – Peter Jones and Nick Jenkins secured a 'yes' from John Kershaw for an £80k investment, representing a 20% stake in software firm M14 Industries, the makers of niche dating app software powering solutions like Bristlr and Spex. One by one, each of the Dragons fell for John and his bearded charms, and made him five offers. So many offers, that he had to borrow a pen and paper from the Dragons to do some sums to make his decision. In the end, it was the combination of Nick Jenkins and Peter Jones who John felt offered the most to his business, and he was happy to shake their hands. Bristlr is a niche dating app that connects people with beards with people who like beards. The site claims ~170k users. Spex connects people who wear glasses.

by Suzy Jackson
See full article at BQLive.co.uk

Mark Brooks: M14's appearance on Dragon's Den is available now on the BBC iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08gdflb.

See all posts on M14
See all posts on Bristlr
See all posts on Spex

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

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Thinking Digital’s Herb Kim Backs Dating App Start-up With Friends Reunited Founder

Posted on May 13, 2016

M14 industries logoCHRONICLE LIVE – May 6 – Thinking Digital founder Herb Kim has made his first angel investment, contributing to a six-figure funding at a start-up dating app company – M14. M14 allows users to set up and run their own dating or social apps. M14 is already responsible for Bristlr, a niche dating site for beard lovers. Others to invest in the funding round included Friends Reunited founder Steve Pankhurst; former match.com managing directors Jason Stockwood and Sam Bedford; Doug Scott from PotentialVC; and IXIS founder Chris Haslam.

by Robert Gibson
See full article at Chronicle Live

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

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Bristlr Accidentally Revolutionizing Online Dating

Posted on January 9, 2015

Bristlr logoWASHINGTON POST – Jan 8 – Bristlr is a social network for guys with beards that will, among other things, tell you when you’re being message-spammed. The app is introducing some innovations that could add critical social context back to online dating. Aside from a copy/paste notification, the company is working on a rating feature that will let users grade the quality of their correspondents’ messages.

by Caitlin Dewey
See full article at Washington Post

Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

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