GRINDR – Grindr’s Q2 revenue rose 33% to $138M. Net income reached $18M, while adjusted EBITDA was $58M. The company raised its full-year revenue forecast to ~$540M. Grindr credited strong user engagement, product improvements and its Madonna partnership for the growth.
BUMBLE – Bumble’s Q2 revenue fell 15% to $21M, while paying users dropped 16% to 3.2M. The company recorded a $128M net loss, including a $169M impairment charge. Adjusted EBITDA declined to $73M. Bumble is investing in new matching algorithms, conversation tools, in-person dating features, and group experiences as part of a wider product overhaul.
MASHABLE – Tinder’s new feature, Missed Connections, is being tested in Canada and Australia. The feature shows users a weekly selection of people they crossed paths with. A text-based profile search is also being tested in Canada. It has generated tens of thousands of searches in its first few weeks. The app has also updated its recommendation algorithm for straight women, which apparently drove gains in Sparks (the number of users engaging in six-way conversations on Tinder in a given week) and Sparks Coverage (the percentage of active users who experience a Spark in a given time).
OPW – Stanford researchers just published a finding that flips one of the sturdier results in relationship science. Self-disclosure, telling someone your real stuff, usually predicts higher well-being. Diyi Yang’s lab tracked 1,131 Character.AI users, analyzed hundreds of thousands of their chat messages, and found the reverse with AI companions: the more personal information people shared with their chatbot, the worse they felt afterward. That effect concentrated almost entirely among users with small offline social networks, the exact group most likely to turn to a chatbot in the first place.
The researchers describe AI companionship as a “social snack.” It satisfies the hunger for connection in the moment while skipping the nutrients. A chatbot cannot reciprocate disclosure the way a person can, and it is built to keep the conversation going regardless of whether that’s good for you.
OPW – We love doing product teardowns. The Courtland Brooks team can look over your app / service and give you feedback on how to improve it. This is how we like to start an engagement these days, as it allows us to get to know our client's product better and add key value quickly. Then from there we can better sense of how we can be of ongoing help, and where the gaps are on your team.
For the price of a marketing manager you can get access to a seasoned team of online dating professionals. See Testimonials here. See pricing and service overview. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com or simply book an opening call here.
MATCH GROUP – Match Group reported signs of recovery at Tinder in Q2, with daily active user declines narrowing to 4%, the best result in ten quarters. Hinge revenue grew 22%, while users increased 13%, supported by expansion into ten new countries; the company still expects Hinge to reach $1B in annual revenue in 2027. Match Group’s total revenue slipped 1% to $853M as payer numbers fell 6%, but net income rose 36% to $171M through lower operating costs.
LINKEDIN – Kaye led communications for OkCupid before working across Match Group brands on global launches, campaigns, partnerships, influencer marketing, events, and executive communications.
WALL STREET JOURNAL – New AI dating apps are offering alternatives to swiping. Amata, a chatbot-based matchmaking app, interviews users and charges about $20 to arrange a date, while Known, an AI matchmaking service supported by human matchmakers, recommends compatible partners. Volar, a now-closed AI dating app, previously tested virtual versions of users that went on simulated dates for them. Established platforms are also experimenting with AI: Grindr is developing its gAI assistant, Bumble is testing its Bee matchmaker, and Tinder and Hinge are introducing tools that help users improve profiles and start conversations.
LINKEDIN – Tinder is partnering with We Met IRL, an events company founded in 2022 that organizes in-person gatherings for singles in New York City, Washington, DC, and other locations. The companies held their first joint event this week as Tinder continues to expand its focus on offline dating experiences.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Matchbox, a dating startup, has partnered with popular social media account Meet Cutes NYC and photobooth vendor Faceplace to launch the Missed Connections Booth in Manhattan. Visitors answer 26 compatibility questions, pay $10, and receive a photo strip showing themselves alongside a mystery match, identified only by a first name and photos. The booth has matched 3,500 people since opening in mid-July and will remain in New York through August, with expansion to other cities under consideration.