TECH CRUNCH – Jan 27 – S'More has signed a production deal with producers Elvia Van Es Oliva and Jack Tarantino, who have worked on shows like "90 Day Fiancé." CEO Cohen-Aslatei said the startup will work with them to create "anti-superficial" dating content for digital platforms and TV networks. This deal builds on the success of S'More Live, the startup's celebrity dating show on Instagram Live, which has aired 60 episodes so far.
Category: Reporters – Anthony Ha
Dating App S’More Adds Blurred Video Calling and Launches in LA
TECH CRUNCH – July 3 – S'More, whose name is short for "something more", launched last fall and has supposedly attracted ~50K users. The dating app has recently launched a video calling feature. The video is blurred for the first two minutes, which means users have got to start an interesting conversation before they can see who they're talking to. S'More has also expanded geographically, launching last week in Los Angeles.
Match Group Completes Separation From IAC
TECH CRUNCH – July 2 – Previously, Match Group was a publicly-traded company, with digital holding company IAC as its majority shareholder. Last year, the companies announced a plan that would see IAC's ownership of Match distributed to IAC's shareholders – a plan that is now completed. The separation also involves a leadership change, with Mark Stein and Gregg Winiarski stepping down from the Match Group board. The company has four new board members: ExecOnline CEO Stephen Bailey, the NBA's executive president for digital media Melissa Brenner, investor and entrepreneur Wendi Murdoch and actor Ryan Reynolds. Shar Dubey will continue to serve as Match Group's CEO, a position she took at the beginning of this year, while Joey Levin remains a both IAC's CEO and Match Group's executive chairman.
IAC Outlines Its Plans for a Match Group Spinoff
Rad’s Lawyers File to Dismiss Defamation Lawsuit
TECH CRUNCH – Oct 9 – Last week, former Tinder CEO Greg Blatt filed a defamation lawsuit against Sean Rad and Rosette Pambakian, who are part of a group of Tinder founders and former executives who accused Blatt of sexual harassment and assault as part of a broader suit. Now Rad and Pambakian's attorneys have filed their own motion to dismiss the suit, arguing that it "seeks to chill protected speech through costly litigation" – in other words, that it's the kind of lawsuit prohibited under California's anti-SLAPP law.
Tinder Fires Comms Head and Other Employees Who Sued Match Group
TECH CRUNCH – Dec 19 – Tinder has fired its VP of marketing and communications Rosette Pambakian, as well as other employees who sued Tinder's parent company Match Group and IAC earlier this year. In an email sent to Match Group's current CEO Mandy Ginsberg, Pambakian said that after being placed on leave when the lawsuit was filed, she was subjected to "ongoing intimidation and retaliation clearly designed to pressure me into resigning." Pambakian also said that after she declined to sign a non-disparagement agreement, "Match snuck an arbitration clause into its employees' most recent compliance acknowledgements, causing me, Jonathan, James and Josh to have to withdraw from the lawsuit. As a woman CEO, I truly hope that you reconsider the safety of your remaining female workforce and allow Tinder and other Match owned companies to follow in the footsteps of Uber, Facebook and Google in eliminating forced arbitration for sexual misconduct claims. We deserve better." In response, Ginsberg denied that Pambakian was fired for complaining about sexual harassment: "You couldn't have been, as you never reported Greg for sexual harassment. You were terminated because it was not possible for you to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of your role as Tinder's spokesperson for a number of reasons, including your public position against the company over a valuation process," Ginsberg continued.
Tinder & Match Lawsuit: Match Group’s Statement
Match Group statement: The allegations in the complaint are meritless, and IAC and Match Group intend to vigorously defend against them. Match Group and the plaintiffs went through a rigorous, contractually – defined valuation process involving two independent global investment banks, and Mr. Rad and his merry band of plaintiffs did not like the outcome. Mr. Rad and Mr. Mateen may not like the fact that Tinder has experienced enormous success following their respective departures. Mr. Rad has a rich history of outlandish public statements, and this lawsuit contains just another series of them. We look forward to defending our position in court.
by Anthony Ha
See full article at Tech Crunch
Tonight Is A New Dating App Optimized For Real Dates
The League Wants To End Ghosting
TECH CRUNCH – Mar 18 – The exclusive dating app adds "read receipts", a new feature that could help the paid members to figure out if someone's deliberately ignoring them or if they just haven't opened the app in a while. The League membership costs $179.99/year and includes features like profile feedback and access to more potential matches.
Ona Could Help You Get Better At Dating With An Online Dating Coach, Therapist Or Matchmaker
TECH CRUNCH – Feb 7 – A startup called Ona is offering professional support to online daters. "It's about learning how to date better, using specialists," said co-founder Eric Berkowitz. Ona offers date coaching, consulting, therapy and matchmaking. The startup will charge $75 and $200 for their "core service," with possible premium services for an extra charge. The app is currently available for iOS users in New York City.