TECH CRUNCH -- Nov 1 -- WorldFriends, the Tokyo- and Shanghai-based social network, which now has nearly 2m users from all over the world, did a soft (re)launch last week, mainly enhancing a number of networking features. WorldFriends is walking a fine line between being a platform for dating, language exchange and making international friends. CEO Dominic Penaloza says about 4% of WorldFriends members are paying for services, which certainly helped the site to reach profitability 3 years after launch. Currently the company is particularly active in Japan, where 33% of paid members are from. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH
Mark Brooks: I met with Dominic last year while in Shanghai for the Asian Internet Dating Conference. They are backed by the founders of Lavalife. This company is a rising star in the idating industry in Asia. Internet dating is dirty word in Japan, so WFN has taken the approach of letting users approach each other under the guise of language learning. This is indirect approach to idating greatly suits the Japanese psyche.
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