DATING WATCH - Mar 8 - After launching Be2 in France and Benelux, Fabrice Le Parc started a new adventure with SmartDate.com, a Facebook-connected dating site. Smartdate has just announced 2M Eur funding.
Q: What is your background?
A: After graduating from HEC (School of Management) in 1999 I was working for start-ups such as Nameplanet, which was sold in 2000, and later for Lycos. I took part in 2 reality dating shows in France and USA. Then my path crossed with Be2. I led the launch of Be2 in France and Benelux. When I turned 30 I told myself that it's time to launch my own site.
Q: Can you tell us more about Smartdate? What are its specifics?
A: Mainly it's the integration with Facebook. Smartdate uses Facebook Friends as a criteria for your dating search.
Q: How are you different from the likes of Zoosk?
A: Smartdate goes further with the matching in relation to Facebook. The matching is the element that users pay for.
Q: What value does Facebook brings in general to dating?
A: It is more addictive and playful and the dates are more authentic.
Q: Do you believe in personality profiling?
A: The approach of "psychological tests" remains an interesting marketing angle, but I think that the effectiveness of these famous tests has not been shown yet.
The full article was originally published at Dating Watch, but is no longer available.
