BUSINESS INSIDER - July 24 - We've got new apps popping up every day: Coffee Meets Bagel, Hook, Pinch, Instamour, Wyldfire, Whim, Floret... Online dating can often be frustrating, which in turn leads to more willingness to try new apps. A lot of people see a need to come up with new ideas. Mark Brooks, the iDating consultant behind Courtland Brooks, thinks that dating apps more closely translate the real-life experience of meeting someone. "The mobile platform is simply a superior platform for internet dating. Mobile daters will go on many times during the day but just for a few minutes, they’re chatting and then they go back to work, and then jump back on. Internet dating has never really meshed with true user behavior," he said. "The true user behavior is when someone starts chatting someone else up, they’ll be in a continuous conversation and reel them in for a date. The problem with online dating is the incentive structures are quite broken. Mobile gets us closer." These dating apps all need to figure out the revenue model. Brooks thinks in-app spending is the way to go. And then there's always ads. Larger corporations acquiring the smaller startups when they run out of money. We saw this happen with IAC. Brooks sees Match Group holding out as the powerhouse. Match Group is currently under IAC, but Brooks anticipates a future separation that would leave Match Group as the ultimate online dating umbrella. "Starting a dating app is rather like starting a restaurant," Brooks said. "It looks very easy to do. It's a very sexy business. But it's a lot more difficult because of the critical mass problem. "What I typically find happens is that entrepreneurs spend 90% of their money building the app. But it does require cold hard cash to grow. Although there may be many startups, there will be few survivors. Very few have that unique way of driving eyeballs. Tinder did well."
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How The Endless Quest For Love Is Sparking Massive Growth In Dating Apps
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Three Day Rule - The Matchmaker That Attracted Match.com
BIZWOMEN - July 23 - Talia Goldstein started her matchmaking business, Three Day Rule (TDR) in 2010. She now employs a team of 12 full-time matchmakers, with plans to grow that number to 30 by the end of the year. Match has just partnered with TDR and held a Series A round for an undisclosed sum. Match will incorporate the elite TDR service onto its site, and the funds will be used to scale the service and expand the TDR team. The starting price for TDR service is $5K for 6 months.
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The Son Of Dell's CEO Ventured Into Online Dating
AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL - July 23 - Zachary Dell, the son of Dell CEO Michael Dell, is getting into the online dating business by launching ThreadDating.com, a mobile dating app for college students. In April, several publications reported that Michael Dell’s 20-year-old daughter, Alexa, was dating Sean Rad, the CEO of Tinder.
by Christopher Calnan
See full article at Austin Business Journal
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Wyldfire: A Dating App Inspired By Tinder, Made For Women
FORBES - July 22 - Brian Freeman and Andrew White started Wyldfire, a new dating app that is a lot like Tinder. “Without Tinder, we wouldn’t exist,” says Freeman. “We’ve taken their idea and spun off something we think is super highly valuable off the core concept.” They surveyed female friends about their experiences with online dating, who told them the biggest drawback was the explicit come-ons they received from guys. Wyldfire is an app that men could only join if invited by a woman member. Chats are limited to 20 messages. Wyldfire only has ~ 6K users so far but 60% of them are women.
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Project Fixup Is A New Digital Matchmaking Service
TECH CRUNCH - July 22 - On Project Fixup, users create a profile and take a simple quiz about their interests, likes and dislikes. The sites then sends the info to an assigned “fixup specialist", who works like a matchmaker. The fixup specialists set users up on a blind date with someone they think they’ll mesh with. They coordinate the date, time and location for the couple to meet. The concept is now launching out of beta and into San Francisco this week. None of the “fixup specialists” are professional matchmakers though. Each matchup costs $20 and comes with a 100% “Awesomeness Guarantee.” That means if a user had a bad experience, he/she gets the money back.
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Instant Chemistry Partners With Agape Match
OPW - July 22 - Instant Chemistry, the at-home compatibility test for couples, is partnering with Agape Match, a professional matchmaking service. Agape Match will offer Instant Chemistry’s DNA kit to interested clients.
Mark Brooks: The DNA test is $199. Basisnote and Scientificmatch were a lot more pricey. The conversions funnel on this sort of service is a bit tough...but this is a very media-friendly story. The press like DNA matchmaking.
See all posts on Instant Chemistry
See all posts on AgapeMatch
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Future Of Niche Dating Uncertain
CHRISTIAN CONNECTION BLOG -July 9 - Following the recent upheaval at Spark Networks, questions arise as to the long-term sustainability of the niche-dating industry. Unsuccessful attempts to apply mass marketing techniques to niche dating site reminds marketers that users subscribe to a niche product for the sense of community, individual focus, and safety it provides. Many larger white label networks are falling short in creating the safe, trustworthy environment members expect from niche-based communities.
by Jackie Elton
See full article at Christian Connection blog
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Online Dating Second Most Successful Meeting Method
THE MORNING BULLETIN - July 21 - According to RSVP's 5th annual report - Date of the Nation, has revealed that 17% of Australians who have used online dating have got married or entered a relationship as a result. When it comes to meeting new partners, online dating is now #2 most popular method behind introductions via friends or family. (Online Dating was #5 in 2012).
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Revealr Dating App Uses Audio As A Profile
BUSINESS STANDARD - July 20 - Revelar is a new app that uses voice recording as a profile instead of photos. Users record their profiles and browse through 20-seconds audios presented along with a blurred photo. If they like what they hear, they swipe right. If a mutual match is made, they are connected and the un-blurred photos are shown.
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DatingFactory.com Is Hiring
OPW - July 22 - White label dating provider, DatingFactory.com, is looking for a confident and experienced digital Marketing Manager to focus on delivering conversions and revenue through managing dating sites’ content, CRM and conversion points. Check out the latest Internet Dating Jobs post for more details.
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Swoon Hits The Dead Pool
OPW - July 21 - Tagged is closing down its mobile dating app Swoon.
Hi everyone! We’ve decided it's time for us to say goodbye and move on to our next adventure. Thank you for swooning!
— Swoon (@SwoonApp) July 18, 2014
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Single Mom Used OKCupid To Make Friends
THE GLOBE AND MAIL - July 17 - Solmes, a single mother used OkCupid to meet other single mothers. She scoured through profiles, looking for women who had the highest compatibility index with her, and then messaged them. Looking for new girlfriends later in life is a lot like dating. Websites such as GirlFriendCircles.com, a “dating site for women finding friends,” tap into our tendency to hit it off with people who are substantially like us. A Yale study published this week found that we make friends with people who are genetically similar to us. Shasta Nelson, started GirlFriendCircles.com in 2009. The site now counts 40K member.
by Zosia Bielski
See full article at The Globe and Mail
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Dating Startups Don’t Stand A Chance Against IAC
WIRED - July 17 - For dating startups, resistance against IAC is futile. Many of the companies that do come along with a new idea, like HowAboutWe, inevitably fail or surrender to IAC. Zoosk, which filed its S-1 with the SEC earlier this year, is one exception.
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eHarmony Is Working On New TV Ads
ADAGE - July 17 - The TV ads are directed by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. The national push is set to break in August. eHarmony has a strong base with 25-40 year-olds, but it hasn't been as popular with people outside of that age range. eHarmony hopes the funny ads will resonate with its existing audience and appeal to singles of all ages. TV comprises ~80% of eHarmony's $90M annual marketing budget. The commercials are part of a shift in marketing strategy that began in 2012 when Mr. Warren resumed his role as CEO. In 2013, Mr. Warren said its subscriber base grew by 55%, which he attributed in part to his return and improved online marketing efforts.
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SeekingArrangement.com Traffic Soared After Google Executive's Homicide
SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL - July 17 - In the days after a prostitute named Alix Tichelman was arrested for allegedly injecting a fatal dose of heroin into Google executive Forrest Hayes, people flocked to the site where they met, SeekingArrangement.com. Traffic to the site doubled, according to CEO Brandon Wade. "Bad news ends up being good news when it comes to traffic for our website," he said. He also said the site should generate twice the $10M in sales it brought in last year.
by Eric Van Susteren
See full article at Silicon Valley Business Journal
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