OPW – Longtime dating industry journalist Hanna Kozlowska’s new book, U Up?: An Intimate History of Online Dating, is available for pre-order ahead of its January 26, 2027 release. The book explores the history of online dating, from Victorian personal ads to modern dating apps, drawing on interviews with daters around the world. Kozlowska discussed the book with Mark Brooks during an LTR interview in 2025.
REUTERS – Norway’s data protection authority has fined Microsoft-owned advertising platform Xandr 92M crowns ($9.61M) for unlawfully sharing Grindr users’ sensitive data with thousands of advertisers. The data, which could reveal users’ sexual orientation, was shared through automated advertising auctions between July 2018 and April 2020. Xandr said it assumed Grindr had obtained consent but did not verify this. The regulator ruled that Xandr shared legal responsibility with Grindr, which was fined 65M crowns over the same breaches in 2021.
PRESS RELEASE – LGBTQ+ dating app Bindr announced it has passed 500K members and 600K downloads. The company said it adds ~20K members each month, with 80% based in the US and Canada. Co-founders Mary Richardson and Brandon Teller have now started investing in early-stage companies. They are focusing on LGBTQ+ founders, women-led businesses and startups in York and across Pennsylvania. They will also support the accelerator programmes that helped them build Bindr and their AI marketing platform, ColdStart.
DEXERTO – Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri ruled out plans for a dating feature while answering a follower’s question on his Instagram Story. He said a formal dating service would require substantial extra work and argued that people already use Instagram to find romantic connections through story replies, shared Reels, and direct messages.
LINKEDIN – French social events company Dixner has acquired CrushParty. The company organises in-person events where singles can meet. Dixner launched three years ago with dinners that bring ten strangers together and has since attracted 100,000 registered users. The acquisition will lead to Dixner Crush, a new series of singles-only events. Dixner will continue running its existing dinners, parties and workshops. CrushParty founders Charlotte Werba, Lucie Le Cadre and Romain Nibourel will join the company as investors.
LTR – In this conversation, Mark Brooks sits down with Dr. Stephen Whitehead, sociologist, gender studies expert, and author of The End of Sex, to explore the profound social changes reshaping love, intimacy, marriage, and the dating industry.
Stephen explains what he means by “the end of sex” and argues that the traditional gender arrangement that once shaped adult life is breaking down. The conversation explores the growing divergence between men and women, the rise of independent femininity, changing expectations around relationships, and why many dating platforms may still be designing for outdated assumptions about what women and men want.
They also discuss masculinity, emotional intelligence, emotional labor, the “semantic gap” between men and women, and the growing influence of AI companions. Stephen argues that the future of dating may depend on platforms moving beyond maximizing swipes and engagement, and instead helping people develop the understanding and skills needed to build meaningful relationships.
[**See the video here on YouTube**]
The June LTR was kindly sponsored by HubPeople, LeadThink and Courtland Brooks
EQUITY BULLS – Matrimony.com reported quarterly billings of ₹13,109 lakhs ($13.5M), up 10.7% YOY. Billings for the first six months of FY27 reached ₹26,711 lakhs ($27.6M), an increase of 9.2%. Almost all billings came from matchmaking, which generated ₹13,030 lakhs ($13.5M) during the quarter. Other marriage services declined to ₹79 lakhs ($82K).
BUSINESS STANDARD – Info Edge, the Indian internet company behind Naukri.com, 99acres, Jeevansathi and dating app Aisle, reported Q2 FY27 billings of ₹822.3 crore ($85M), up 12.8% YOY. Jeevansathi grew 18.4% to ₹39.7 crore ($4.1M), while Aisle recorded 40% growth. Combined billings from the company’s matchmaking and dating brands increased by 23.1%.
MARKETECH – Tinder has launched its Events feature in Tokyo, with plans to expand it across Japan. Users can browse local activities, see who plans to attend, and match with other attendees after the event. Events include runs, board-game meetups, café socials, book clubs, workshops, and live music. Bookings are handled by third-party organisers, while Tinder requires participants to complete photo verification.
LINKEDIN – Digital identity and age-verification company Yoti has ranked 52nd in the Financial Times and Statista list of the UK’s fastest-growing companies for 2027. Yoti increased annual revenue from £6.25M in the year ending March 2023 to £32M in the year ending March 2026. The company has been profitable since March 2025. Revenue in Sep 2026 was 60% higher than in Sep 2025. Yoti continues to invest in its age-assurance, identity-verification, liveness, and fraud-detection services.