Announcing LTR 49 With Matthew Gain, CEO of ParshipMeet Group, and Eric Straus, former CEO and Founder of Cupid.com

Posted on February 17, 2026

OPW – Edition 49 of the LTR (Love, Tech, Relationships) online experience will be on Wednesday, February 25th, at 12 pm (noon) EST (New York time).

In this edition of LTR, Mark Brooks will sit down with Matthew Gain, CEO of ParshipMeet Group, to discuss the company’s portfolio of brands, current market challenges, and the key opportunities shaping the next few years in the dating industry.

Following that conversation, Mark will sit down with Eric Straus, former CEO and Founder of Cupid.com and now President of Transworld Business Brokers in Manhattan. They will cover Eric’s exit from Cupid.com and explore how dating companies can position themselves for acquisition, navigate the sale process, and identify the right buyers.

If you hold a full-time leadership role at an online dating company, you are welcome to join LTR events for free.

Why attend LTR?

🏠 Flexible: Attend from anywhere – no travel required.
⏰ Convenient: Live session. 90 minutes.
💰 Free: No registration fees.

See the LTR Edition 49 speakers and invite page here.

Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.

Image featuring two speakers, Matthew Gain and Eric Straus, at LTR.us event.

Score Relaunches Dating App With Credit-Score Verification and Premium Verified Tier

Posted on February 16, 2026
Score dating app

TECH CRUNCH – Luke Bailey has relaunched Score, the dating app centered on financial compatibility. The original version required a minimum credit score of 675 and attracted ~50K users before being shut down. The new version adds two tiers: a free tier open to anyone, and a verified tier where users consent to identity and credit verification via Equifax (soft check, no credit impact). Verified users unlock features like seeing who saved their profile, messaging before matching, video intros, and nearby discovery. Bailey argues credit scores signal reliability rather than wealth. The app plans global expansion starting with Canada.

See full article at Tech Crunch

Dating App Users Hide Identities as Security Fears Rise

Posted on February 16, 2026
2025 In-app User Privacy Report cover, with the Verve logo.

PPC LAND – A 2025 Verve survey of 4K U.S. and U.K. users shows dating-app privacy behavior shifting: people are less willing to share identity data such as names, phone numbers, and emails, but more willing to share location and even health details because those improve matching. Over half of users now refuse to share any personal data at all, mainly due to breach and hacking fears after repeated security incidents. Women and younger users are the most cautious. The trend creates a problem for dating platforms, which need identity information for verification, safety, and payments, but face declining trust in how they handle it.

See full article at PPC Land

Mark Brooks on the Dating App Business Model and AI’s Role in Matchmaking

Posted on February 16, 2026
Mark Brooks

REUTERS – Reuters’ Econ World podcast interviews dating-industry consultant Mark Brooks about how dating apps actually make money despite losing users when matches succeed. He explains the evolution from Match.com search-based dating to Tinder’s swipe gamification, the freemium-to-subscription model, and why apps aim for users to stay around three months before pairing off. Major players include Match Group (Tinder, Hinge, Match), Bumble and Grindr. The industry grew during COVID, now faces payment reluctance and privacy concerns from Gen Z, and is shifting toward more meaningful matching and niche communities. Brooks says AI will help verify users, improve profiles and eventually predict compatibility and support relationships, not just create matches.

Listen to the podcast at Reuters

AI Dating Apps Replace Swiping With Interview-Based Matchmaking

Posted on February 16, 2026
Fate dating app icon

THE GUARDIAN – AI-driven dating startups are replacing swiping with interviews and curated matches. The London app Fate uses an AI agent to question users about personality and goals, then presents about five compatible matches and can coach conversations. Similar services like Sitch and Keeper also use AI to analyse preferences and feedback to produce higher-intent matches. The pitch: fewer options, deeper compatibility. Surveys show interest in AI for safety, but most users remain skeptical about AI guiding conversations.

See full article at The Guardian

Breeze App Requires In-Person Date Before Chatting

Posted on February 16, 2026
Logo of Breeze

CNN – CNN’s Anna Cooban speaks to Breeze co-founder Marco van der Woude about why his app doesn’t let users speak before they meet. Woude says his business model is designed to encourage people to meet in person rather than talking endlessly online.

Watch the video at CNN

AI Dating Startups Shift From Subscriptions to Pay-for-Match

Posted on February 16, 2026
Keeper logo

PITCHBOOK – Several startups are replacing swipe subscriptions with pay-for-results dating. Keeper’s AI charges a $5K fee per match and offers a $50K “marriage bounty,” meaning the client only pays the full amount if the relationship meets its long-term criteria (such as marriage or equivalent commitment). Known uses voice-analysis AI and charges when it sets up a date. Sitch sells arranged date packages (~$90 for three matches in New York). Ditto, focused on students, is free and positioned as a broader social-connection platform. The shift is from paying to browse profiles to paying for actual introductions or outcomes.

See full article at Pitchbook

Three Day Rule Introduces AI Matchmaker “Tai”

Posted on February 16, 2026
Three Day Rule Tai

NBC BOSTON – Matchmaking service Three Day Rule launched an AI-powered matchmaking app featuring an AI assistant called “Tai.” The system is trained on the company’s historical matchmaker data to replicate a human matchmaker: it interviews users, curates matches, coaches conversations, and adapts to personality. CEO Adam Cohen-Aslatei described Tai as “your companion… that is going to find you love and amazing dates.”

See full article at NBC Boston

Bumble CPO Exits Amid Leadership Restructure

Posted on February 16, 2026
Logo of Bumble Inc.

BUSINESS INSIDER – Bumble’s Chief Product Officer Michael Affronti has left the company after a year as part of a leadership restructuring aimed at centralizing product, engineering, and design under one leader. CTO Vivek Sagi now becomes Chief Product and Technology Officer as CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd seeks to refocus the business and return to growth following a difficult year and executive turnover.

See full article at Business Insider