Online Personals Watch
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Research
    • News by Company & Categories
    • News by Date
    • All Online Dating Statistics
    • Public Companies
    • Acquisitions
    • Funding Rounds
    • Top Online Dating Reporters
    • OPW in the Press
  • Conferences
  • Courtland Brooks
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
Menu

Romance Scams Cost Victims $1.16 Billion in 2025

Posted on February 25, 2026
romance scams

USA TODAY – Organized online romance scams now extract massive sums: ~11,200 victims lost ~$398M in Q3 2025 alone (median loss ~$2,218), and total reported losses reached ~$1.16B in the first nine months of 2025, with some individuals losing six-figure savings. Criminal groups cultivate relationships for months via social media and messaging apps, then request money through gift cards, wires, or crypto, increasingly reinforced by AI-generated photos, voices, and video; once funds are sent, recovery is rare, so the only reliable safeguard is to cut off contact the moment a new online partner asks for money or financial information.

See full article at USA Today

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Mark Brooks Has Joined the HubPeople Board of Directors

Posted on February 25, 2026
Logo of HubPeople

OPW – Mark Brooks has joined the HubPeople Board of Directors, bringing more than two decades of experience across the online dating and social discovery sector. He has advised executives at some of the world’s most successful dating companies, including the CEO of PlentyofFish during its growth phase. As a board member, Mark will provide strategic guidance on market trends, competitive positioning, and long-term growth as HubPeople continues to expand its global footprint.

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Online Dating Jobs Listing Update – February 2026

Posted on February 25, 2026
job offers

OPW – An update to the online dating jobs listing is live here.

Below, see a couple of this month’s most interesting offers:
HubPeople – CRM Manager
Bumble – Associate Director of Lifecycle Marketing
Ditto AI – Head of Community
Grindr – Director of Government Affairs
Match Group – Sr. People Director
Muzz – Country Marketing Lead
ParshipMeet Group – Vice President Data & AI
Social Discovery Ventures – Chief Legal Officer
Tinder – Sr. Director, Communications (Americas)
Together Light – Director of Marketing

Do you have an idating industry job offer that is not included? Please, send it to tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com and we will add it to the list.

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

The Matchmaking Services That Bring the High Earners of the World Together

Posted on February 24, 2026
A smiling couple dressed in formal attire share a moment together on a city street at night, illuminated by soft lights.

THE TIMES –

Drawing Down the Moon – 40 years in the business. Clients are mostly based in London. “Men tend to be far more open to the type of women they would like to meet,” the owner, Gillian McCallum, says, “while women are more prescriptive”). Finding a match is a team effort that includes daily “matching meetings” to discuss suitors. “The hardest part is encouraging clients to branch out from their checklist.”

Ivy Relations – Inga Verbeeck, the CEO of the Belgium-based Ivy Relations, which has mainly male clients. A team of six headhunters cast their nets wide.
Rates start at £13k and can reach six digits. Standard membership is 5 introductions.

Berkeley – Nine offices globally, from the UK and France to Kenya. Berkeley has an international team of researchers, client managers, psychologists and matchmaking specialists. Prices start at £15k for UK and £35k for international membership. 

Bond – Launched 3 years ago, is based in London, with international clients and plans to expand to Dubai. Standard membership starts at £10k. The service can involve stylists, date coaching, finding personal trainers.

See full article at The Times

Mark Brooks: The matchmaking industry seems to be growing. Matchmaker.com will be launching in March, next month, to help people connect with the right matchmakers for them.

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Match Group Adds Bronstein and Moskowitz to Board Amid Ongoing Leadership Refresh

Posted on February 24, 2026
Logo of Match Group

PRESS RELEASE – Match Group plans to add tech executives Manuel Bronstein and Raina Moskowitz to its board at the 2026 shareholder meeting. Bronstein previously led product at Roblox and worked on Google Assistant and YouTube; Moskowitz is CEO of The Knot Worldwide and former COO/CMO at Etsy. Two current directors, Sharmistha Dubey and Pamela Seymon, will step down. The company says the additions are part of an ongoing board refresh and focus on product growth, engagement, and user trust.

See full article at Match Group website

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Reminder: LTR Edition 49 Happening This Wednesday, February 25th

Posted on February 24, 2026

OPW – This is a reminder that LTR Edition 49 will take place this Wednesday, February 25th, at 12:00 PM EST. In this edition, 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.

Then, Mark will interview 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, social discovery, or matchmaking company, you are welcome to join LTR events for free.

This LTR is kindly sponsored by HubPeople.ai, LeadThink and Courtland Brooks.

Promotional image for LTR US featuring Matthew Gain, CEO of ParshipMeet Group, and Eric Straus, former CEO/Founder of Cupid.com, in front of an audience.

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Grindr Is Testing a New AI Subscription Tier in Australia Called Grindr Edge

Posted on February 24, 2026
Grindr EDGE

STREAMLINE – The paid plan uses AI to summarize chats, suggest compatible matches, detect under-18 users, and strengthen identity verification. It’s priced very high (over AUD 100/month in some markets).

See full article at Streamline

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Dating App ‘Advocate-Influencer Marketing’, by Courtland Brooks

Posted on February 23, 2026
influencer marketing

OPW – At Courtland Brooks we approach influencer marketing with care and intention. We find storytellers who get a brand’s mission, nurture those relationships, and help them become genuine advocates. The results are ads that do not look like ads; they’re videos that actually live in the creator’s story, feel real to their audience, and inspire them to take the next step instead of just scrolling past.

Here are some examples:

  • Chad Foster for Christian Filipina: https://youtu.be/l4-4X6XYyW0?t=25
    Most creators hesitate to promote dating apps, but we have a way to turn skepticism into genuine advocacy. When we tapped travel content creator Chad Foster, he wasn’t convinced he was the right fit for CF, thinking whatever he’d produced would feel forced. But we guided him to create videos that felt personal, which led him to sign up as a member, and over time, he became a full-pledged advocate (extending his initial 3-month collab agreement into a long-term partnership that continues to this day). His videos went from simply mentioning CF to featuring success stories of couples to his own experience using the service. 

  • Province Smile for Christian Filipina: https://youtu.be/0JgdFb5Iu4E?t=120
    A dating app’s biggest advocate is often the one whose own story proves the platform works. Jason of Province Smile didn’t just talk about CF; he lived it and made a channel that was sort of a love letter to his wife, whom he met on CF. We brought him to the Philippines for a sit-down with CF’s relationship experts, produced a deep-dive episode on the dating process, and met with other YouTubers alongside his then-fiancée to help their story reach more people looking for the same serious relationship while giving CF more exposure across multiple platforms.

  • Camp Throuple for BiCupid: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEqjf4ryUNg/
    Before we started the campaign with BiCupid, they originally only worked with bisexual singles and couples, but that approach didn’t deliver meaningful results. After spending more time understanding the app and its community, we proposed expanding into creators in non-traditional relationships. This shift widened the addressable audience, e.g., Camp Throuple was a strong fit because their content on TikTok and Instagram both normalizes non-traditional relationship structures and signals where people like them can actually find others. Since the partnership started, their BiCupid videos have so far reached 5M+ views across platforms and have been generating sales to this day.

  • El Guapo for Christian Filipina: https://youtu.be/yvBbilTrQ2o?t=4571
    Our creators advocate for our brands. Because they trust us, they proactively integrate the platform into their livestreams or post about it on their Instagram stories (that are not part of their agreed deliverables). El Guapo, for example, talks about CF on his livestreams, which leads to real-time conversions as viewers feel like they are getting personal recomendations.

  • Gena Tew for PositiveSingles: https://youtu.be/PlRLtE-_YdA?t=262
    Sensitive topics like dating with HIV require trust and authenticity, so with Gena’s dedicated episode for PS, we didn’t “script” her story. We let her share her own journey: the losses, the stigma, and the community that helped her heal. We worked with her to ensure PositiveSingles was naturally integrated as the supportive space that made this possible. Because of the trust we’d built, she went beyond the agreed deliverables, too, by linking the platform across her social media platforms, encouraging conversations that have then resulted in sign-ups, engagement, and advocacy that also strengthened PS’s credibility in a very sensitive niche.  

Please see CourtlandBrooks.com to learn more about how to work with us and book an initial paid consult.

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Bumble Hit With Class Action Over Alleged Data Breach Exposing User Data

Posted on February 23, 2026
Bumble logo

KXAN – A class action lawsuit has been filed against Bumble after a January 29 cyberattack allegedly exposed users’ personal data. The complaint claims hackers accessed sensitive information – including names, contact details, Social Security numbers, and chat history – due to inadequate security protections, reportedly via a phishing attack linked to the group ShinyHunters. The plaintiff says affected users suffered time loss, anxiety, and risk of identity theft. The lawsuit seeks damages, stronger security measures, and deletion of compromised data, though Bumble’s arbitration clause may move the case out of court.

See full article at KXAN

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Thursday Reaches $50M Valuation, Sets $500M Target and Acquires thursday.com Domain

Posted on February 20, 2026
Thursday logo

LINKEDIN – George Rawlings, co-founder of Thursday, shared that the company has now reached a $50M valuation. The original goal was to achieve this within one year, but it ultimately took three. He also outlined a new target: a $500M valuation within the next five years. Alongside the announcement, Thursday has acquired the thursday.com domain and opened a Series A round for individuals and funds interested in brand and consumer tech. 

See full article at LinkedIn

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 1,879
  • Next
  • YouTube
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
Graphic featuring the logo of Courtland Brooks with the text 'We'll Help You Grow, Thrive & Exit' and bullet points for services including Strategy, Marketing, PR, Influencers, and Business Development.

OUR EVENTS

A blurred audience in a large venue with colorful lighting, featuring the bold text 'LTR US' in the foreground.

OUR SPONSORS

Logo of HubPeople featuring geometric shapes and the text 'HubPeople' in a modern font.
Logo of LeadThink, featuring the tagline 'YOUR GROWTH STARTS WITH US' and the description 'The #1 Destination for Early to Late-Stage Startups' in a combination of blue and pink text.

GOT NEWS?

Share your news at
tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com.

COURTLAND BROOKS

We help online dating & social businesses grow, thrive, and exit. See CourtlandBrooks.com.

CONTACT

Mark Brooks
CEO, Courtland Brooks
Publisher, Online Personals Watch
mark@courtlandbrooks.com

Irena Brooks
Editor, Online Personals Watch
irena@courtlandbrooks.com

©2025 Online Personals Watch
 

Loading Comments...