Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Dating App Sitch Raises $2M

BUSINESS INSIDER - Sitch, an AI matchmaking app, has raised $2M in pre-seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz's accelerator A16z Speedrun. The startup launched in New York City in Nov 2024 and plans to expand to other U.S. cities. Sitch uses a matchmaker chatbot built on OpenAI, trained on hundreds of real-life introductions by cofounder Nandini Mullaji, a part-time matchmaker. Users answer detailed questions about values and dating preferences, then receive up to five curated matches per week. They pay upfront, with pricing tiers ranging from $90 (3 setups) to $160 (8 setups). If ghosted after a setup, users get a refund. Sitch is also rolling out voice-based AI features and hiring full-time staff post-Speedrun. It manually reviews new user applications for quality and safety.

by Sydney Bradley
See full article at Business Insider

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Match Group Appoints Former Twitter General Counsel Sean Edgett as Chief Legal Officer

BLOOMBERG LAW - Match Group appointed former Twitter general counsel Sean Edgett as chief legal officer, awarding him $6.1M in total compensation, primarily in stock. He succeeds Jared Sine, now chief legal and strategy officer at GoDaddy. Match also disclosed leadership changes, including the exit of interim legal head Jeanette Teckman and president Gary Swidler. Bumble, meanwhile, named its third top legal executive in a year.

by Brian Baxter
See full article at Bloomberg Law

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Romance Scams in the UK up 20%

INFOSECURITY MAG - Romance scams in the UK rose 20% in Q1 2025, driven by the growing use of dating apps, according to Barclays. Average victim losses hit £8K, rising to £19K for those aged 61+. Men made up 60% of the victims. 12% of UK adults have been targeted or know someone who has. 76% of consumers want tech companies to do more to stop scams. Experts urge stronger identity checks and better fraud detection by both platforms and banks.

by James Coker
See full article at Infosecurity Magazine

Feeld Won a Webby Award

LINKEDIN - In May 2024, Bumble faced backlash for an ad campaign that mocked celibacy, featuring slogans like "You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer." Critics accused the ads of undermining women's personal choices and promoting patriarchal views. In response, Bumble apologized, removed the ads, and pledged donations to relevant organizations. Seizing the moment, the dating app Feeld collaborated with the agency Mojo Supermarket to introduce a "Celibacy" tag that allowed users to identify as celibate. This real-time response resonated with users, earning Feeld the Webby Award for Best Real-Time Response Campaign.

See full article at LinkedIn

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What You Need to Know Ahead of Match Group's Earnings Release

BARCHART - Match Group will report Q1 2025 earnings on May 8, with revenue expected between $3.4B and $3.5B for the full year, indicating growth of -3% to +1% YOY. Last quarter, revenue hit $860M, slightly above forecasts but down from the previous year. Despite that beat, net income dropped 27.2%, and Tinder earnings declined. The company expects flat adjusted operating income for 2025. Shares are down 7% over the past year, and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating with a 21.6% upside target.

by Neharika Jain
See full article at Barchart

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Pitch-A-Friend Brings Offline Dating to Boston Bars

NBC BOSTON - Pitch-A-Friend, a live dating event series, has launched in Boston, bringing people together in bars to pitch their single friends in 3–5 minute slide presentations. Hosted by Emily Smith, the events feature 6–10 pitches per night and offer a casual space to mingle before and after. The goal is to celebrate friendship and spark real-life connections - no apps, no pressure, just people vouching for people. Attendance is free and open to all.

See full article at NBC Boston

Bumble Under Fire After Users Report Seeing Blocked Profiles Resurface

ROLLING STONE - Bumble faced backlash after users reported seeing profiles they had previously blocked, prompting safety concerns. Jennie Young, a professor and dating app strategist, shared a support email suggesting blocked users might reappear "in case you changed your mind." A follower tested this by logging out and back in, confirming the same blocked profiles were still visible. Bumble later walked back the claim, stating the original message was inaccurate and that blocked users should not reappear unless they create new accounts.

by Miles Klee
See full article at Rolling Stone

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Coffee Meets Bagel CMO Delbert Ty Stepping Down

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE - Delbert Ty has exited as Chief Marketing Officer at Coffee Meets Bagel. No successor has been named. During his time, he led over 50% growth, shifted to user-generated content for ads, introduced a four-day work week, and rebuilt the company's marketing tools without engineering support. He now works as a fractional CMO.

by A'bidah Zaid Shirbeeni
See full article at Marketing-Interactive

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Parship Study: Sustainability Becoming a Key Factor in Modern Relationships

PRESS RELEASE - A Parship study of over 1,000 Germans reveals that sustainability is a growing source of tension in relationships. While 82% of couples agree on basic eco-habits, 37% say they'd end a relationship if their partner pushed too hard for a sustainable lifestyle, rising to 46% among Gen Z. One in five couples have already argued about sustainability, and 30% wish their partner were more environmentally conscious. Younger people, especially 18–29-year-olds, are the most affected, showing both the highest expectations and the highest conflict rates around green living.

See the top news on Parship

New Book Release: Ask a Matchmaker - Matchmaker Maria's No-Nonsense Guide to Finding Love

OPW - Maria Avgitidis, CEO of Agape Match and host of the Ask a Matchmaker podcast, has written her first book: Ask a Matchmaker: Matchmaker Maria's No-Nonsense Guide to Finding Love, out May 20, 2025, from St. Martin's Essentials. The book offers a straightforward, practical guide to modern dating, addressing key topics such as identifying what one really wants in a partner, aligning on values like finances, long-term goals, and religion, and writing a personal dating "manifest." It includes advice on using dating apps effectively, meeting people in real life, and navigating early-stage dating with tools like the "Twelve Date Rule." It also challenges outdated expectations about love and dating timelines. You can pre-order the book here. 

Maria will also be a guest at our upcoming LTR42 event on May 14th, where she'll be interviewed by Mark about the book and her approach to finding love in the modern world.

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