SF CHRONICLE - Nov 26 - eHarmony seems a little archaic. For Grant Langston, eHarmony's new CEO, the challenge is making the site relevant to the hook-up generation. "We don't have any interest in a person who just wants to pick up someone," said Langston. "But there are people using Tinder who are not looking for a hookup," he said. "We've learned that people in their 20s and 30s who have income are very happy to spend more in the search for a more enduring relationship," Langston said. "When you're in the 40s and 50s that changes. You can see the impact of relationships that don't work out. You see bitterness. To reach people in that limited window, eHarmony must make itself easier to use," Langston said. In early December, eHarmony will release features that will make communications feel less like email and more like IM. eHarmony also wants to explore video. The biggest problem, though, is price. Tinder is free and eHarmony is $57 a month. There's also the problem of people associating eHarmony with older people.
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eHarmony CEO Wants To Court The Tinder Crowd
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FMK Is A New Harsh Dating App
HER.IE - Nov 26 - FMK is short for F*ck, Marry, Kill. Users of the app are presented with three potential dates at a time and they have to chose which one they would have sex with, which one they would wed and which one they would murder. According to Memo, the app already has ~6k users and 90% of those users apparently use it daily.
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Chinese Online Payment App Turned Into A Hook-up App
WALL STREET JOURNAL - Nov 28 - Late last week, Ant Financial Services Group, the financial affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba, updated its flagship Alipay app with a new social feature called "Circles" that allows users to share messages and photos. Only women were allowed to post images in the groups that are publicly visible. The app initially divided men into two groups depending on their scores on Alipay's data-driven credit-rating system. Those with high scores were allowed to comment, while low-scorers were limited to "liking" photos and using the payment platform to give female users cash gifts. The result over the weekend was an explosion of photos of half naked women. In some cases, the photos came with messages indicating the women were looking for wealthy boyfriends. The company described Circles as an "open platform" that was still in the testing phase.
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FarmersOnly.com - Rural Americans Need Their Own Dating Site
THE GUARDIAN - Nov 27 - Jerry Miller's FarmersOnly.com dating site has attracted 5M subscribers. Miller, who works in agricultural marketing, got the idea to start the dating service when he kept meeting lonely farmers through his work. Living in a rural area where the nearest neighbor is miles away and everyone knows each other does not leave a lot of dating options. Also the odd hours and lack of weekends of farm life don't make for easy dating.
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Dating Apps Must Protect Users Better, Says NPCC
BBC.COM - Nov 24 - Dating apps "must take more responsibility" for protecting their users' safety on dates, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has said. It comes after Stephen Port was found guilty of murdering four men he had met through dating apps. In the UK, the number of people reporting being raped on a first date with someone they met on a dating app increased six-fold between 2009 and 2014 to 184 cases a year, according to the National Crime Agency.
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Just She App Review
PINK DATING SITES - Nov 24 - Just She is not only a dating application but a lesbian-friendly community. Even though Just She is free to download and use, some features need membership upgrade in order to be unlocked. Standard membership costs $39.99 per 1 month, while premium one cost $79.99 per 3 months. Users can try a VIP package which boosts up all features and tools, also gives them best searching results and much more for a $64.99.
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Gay Dating App Hornet Raises $8M
VENTURE BEAT - Nov 22 - Hornet has raised $8M in its first round of institutional financing. The Series A round was led by Shanghai-based VC firm Ventech China, and adds to the $500k angel round Hornet raised back in 2012. Hornet says that the cash will be used to "support rapid business growth and user adoption" around the world. Ventech China participated in the Series C round of China's gay dating app Blued in June this year. Blued is big in Asia, and has claimed to be twice as big as Grindr.
by Paul Sawers
See full article at Venture Beat
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
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Three Day Rule Matches Users With Their Ex
BUSINESS INSIDER - Nov 22 - Instead of personality quizzes or a swiping interface, Three Day Rule uses machine learning and facial recognition software to find clients matches. Founded in 2013, the startup believes people are attracted to particular face shapes. It asks clients (who join for upwards of $7k) for photos of their exes, and then pairs them with users in its database who have similar facial structures.
by Leanna Garfield
See full article at Business Insider
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M14 Acquires Double
BQ - Nov 22 - M14 Industries, the white label platform used to power niche dating apps, has acquired London-based dating platform Double, which shot to fame in 2015 after a successful Dragon's Den appearance. Double is a dating app which encourages users to find a friend, and look for double dates. The app has secured a £75k investment from Moonpig founder Nick Jenkins on the BBC show Dragon's Den in 2015. Under the terms of this deal, the value of which is undisclosed, the Double founders will exit the business.
by Suzy Jackson
See full article at BQ
See all posts on M14
See all posts on Double
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
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Bumble Expands Into Career Networking With BumbleBizz
ADAGE - Nov 22 - Dating app Bumble is introducing BumbleBizz, a feature that will match users with career peers and mentors. Users will upload career-related information about themselves, and the app will harness the data to find potential contacts. If two people swipe right, they can immediately begin communicating. Users will be able to switch between three profiles within Bumble - one designed for dating, one geared at making friends (BumbleBFF) and BumbleBizz. Like the dating section of the app, within BumbleBizz, women will have the power to take initiative. When a match occurs between male and female, the woman has 24 hours to start a conversation.
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GoodDeedDating.co.uk Brings Together Kind Hearted People
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK - Nov 21 - GoodDeedDating.co.uk, launched earlier this year, is the genius idea of Hannah Whitehead (a former charity worker). Rather than being paired off with someone for awkward drinks or dinner, Good Deed daters sign up for a two-hour 'good deed' volunteering session, attended by other singles. It could be planting trees, helping direct people on at a charity run, or working for the Red Cross.
by Liz Hoggard
See full article at DailyMail.co.uk
Irena Brooks: Spark Networks introduced GoodDeedDating.com in USA two years ago for ChristianMingle's users to meet each other while doing some good for their community.
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Hundreds Of Dating Services Are Helping New Yorkers Find A Date
CRAIN'S NEW YORK - Nov 20 - IBISWorld estimates 8% of ~4k dating & matchmaking services nationwide are based in New York state. New Yorkers work ~49 hours a week. Most online daters spend most of their online-dating time on their smartphones. Online dating is about "improving on the real-world experience," said Mark Brooks, who owns an Internet-
dating industry consultancy Courtland Brooks. "Mobile apps cater to the economics of dating. When you're pursuing someone, you don't wait a few days before contacting them. If you don't stay in contact, someone else will." According to the Pew Research Center, 9% of American adults use or have used mobile dating apps.
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The Inner Circle - New York's Newest Dating App
DIGITAL TRENDS - Nov 19 - Just a month after making its debut in the Big Apple, the Amsterdam-based dating service has doubled its user base. Users are encouraged to find their next dates by first selecting their favorite restaurant, bar, or local hangout. From there, The Inner Circle members can "share a unique date idea" or meet at a mutual favorite haunt. The App now boasts ~23k registered members.
by Lulu Chang
See full article at Digital Trends
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Sapio Is A New Women-led Team Dating App
FORBES - Nov 19 - Now attracting ~10k users in NYC alone, Sapio is "what Hinge is trying to be," according to the start-up's founders. The app engages users with over 300 open-ended questions.
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2017 iDate Awards Voting Open
OPW - Nov 20 - The voting for the 2017 iDate Awards is open now. Please vote for what you believe is the best dating company in these categories.
- Best Dating Site Best Product Design
- Best Dating Software & SAAS Provider
- Best Mobile Dating App Best Matchmaker
- Best Dating Coach Most Innovative Company
- Best New Technology Best Payment System
- Best Affiliate Program Best Marketing Campaign
- Best Up and Coming Dating Site
- Best Niche Dating Site
The voting ends on January 6, 2017. The awards ceremony will take place on January 25, 2017 in Miami at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden.
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