Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Alex Tam, CEO of Paktor - How Paktor Has Brought Asia Together

LTR - As the Group CEO of Paktor & GaiGai, Alex oversees online and offline matchmaking brands as well as the associated dating and image coaching businesses in Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. GaiGai was started for singles to meet in casual settings without the hours of swiping and chatting. Prior to starting GaiGai, Alex worked as an investment analyst at hedge fund Lionport Capital in Singapore. He graduated with a double degree in Accounting and Business Management. Alex mentioned that localisation is important in dating apps. Paktor's local branding is through the use of stickers and gifts to engage local singles. Paktor also partners with local businesses including tourist attractions.

LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and the online conference covers the Internet dating and Online Social Communities space. It is for members of IDEA and OSCA.

The September LTR was kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by Meet Group, and Courtland Brooks

Bumble Is Cracking Down on People Making Discriminatory False Reports

CNET - 90% of reports made on Bumble that are directed at daters who happen to be gender nonconforming get dismissed by moderators. In short, Bumble has discovered that some daters will report a profile as a means of discrimination, not because that profile violates any rules. Those who make intentionally false reports could find themselves booted off the platform.

by Erin Carson
See full article at CNet

See the top news on Bumble

"2nd Chances App" - a Dating App for Young Widowers and Widows

FIRST COAST NEWS - After losing their spouses in 2018, Michael Cook and Helene Brown connected through an online grieving group. The couple quickly realized how difficult it was for other young widowers and widows to connect with one another so they started the 2nd Chances app, a space specifically geared toward young widows and widowers.

by Mekena Rodriguez
See full article at First Coast News

Tinder Is Launching Tinder Uni in the UK

MASHABLE - Tinder Uni can only be accessed by students with a uni email address (ending in ac.uk), and users will have to confirm that email address in order to gain access to the feature. Per Tinder research, 53% of graduates in the UK met a current or previous partner while studying and 62% of those are still with that partner. Tinder has launched similar features in other countries, namely Tinder U for U.S. college kids.

by Rachel Thompson
See full article at Mashable

See the top news on Tinder

Hinge Will Try to Thwart Scammers With Video Verification

WIRED - Hinge will begin rolling out video selfie verification, next month. Hinge will ask users to take a video selfie within the app to confirm they are real. Match Group then plans to use machine learning technology and human moderators to compare facial geometries from the video selfie to photos on the user's profile. Once the video is confirmed as authentic, a user gets a "Verified" badge on their Hinge profile.

by Lauren Goode
See full article at Wired

See the top news on Hinge

Urban Swan Raises $2M in Seed Funding

SMART COMPANY - Urban Swan is a Gen Z dating startup based in Australia, that partners with Sydney and Melbourne vendors to provide users with unforgettable date experiences. Currently focused on Sydney, the cash injection will help fund its expansions to other major Australian cities in 2023. Urban Swan was founded in 2021. It taps into the 'experience economy' that has become increasingly popular with millennials and gen Z thanks to TikTok and Instagram.There has been a demand for interesting and fun experiences that go beyond bars and restaurants. Urban Swan cited some of its most popular dates include axe throwing, pottery classes and infrared saunas. According to Urban Swan, 72% of the customers are aged 18-35 and they're spending an average of $150 per experience.

by Tegan Jones
See full article at Smart Company

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Grindr Prepares to Go Public

CAPITAL.COM - A merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Tiga Acquisition was announced back in May and it valued Grindr at $2.1B. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Grindr will trade under the name Gindr Inc. and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It is expected the stock will initially be priced at $10. As of Dec 2021, Grindr has 10.8M active subscribers and of this, 723K are paying users, up ~30% compared to 2020. For 2022, the app has forecast a rise in revenue growth between 35-40% and the company reported revenue of $147M, an increase of 30% from 2020. Match Group's share has fallen 67% this year. Bumble has also seen a drop in share price of 68% since going public in Feb 2021.

by Jenny McCall
See full article at Capital.com

See the top news on Grindr

Bumble Makes Cyberflashing Detection Tool Available as Open-source Code

MASHABLE - In 2019, Bumble launched its AI tool 'Private Detector', which alerts users when they've been sent an obscene photo and automatically blurs the image. Now, Bumble is making a version of the tool available to the wider tech community on GitHub. Rachel Haas, Bumble's VP of member safety, said in a statement, "Open-sourcing this feature is about remaining firm in our conviction that everyone deserves healthy and equitable relationships, respectful interactions, and kind connections online."

by Rachel Thompson
See full article at Mashable

See the top news on Bumble

Relationship App Sparks Helps Couples Plan Dates

TECH CRUNCH - Sparks is an app for couples looking to introduce new and fun experiences to their lives. The Barcelona-based startup, which exhibited as part of the Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt, debuted as an MVP in May 2021 and officially launched this week. The startup was founded by CEO Ankit Nayal, who came up with the idea for Sparks after reflecting on his relationship with his partner. He found that he and his partner were often too busy to find things to do together. Nayal decided to create an app focused on helping couples enhance their relationships by finding new experiences, whether it's choosing a new movie, recipe, game, restaurant or vacation. The startup is looking to raise a pre-seed round in Q1 of 2023 and plans to use the funding to add more features to the app.

by Aisha Malik
See full article at Tech Crunch

Adam Cohen-Aslatei (S'More) - Community as the Evolution of Dating

LTR - Adam has spent 8 years of his career working with leading dating companies. First, he worked with The Meet Group, then after some time in consulting, he joined Magic Lab as the MD of Chappy. Then he started S'More.

Adam found that, although singles have been swiping for 10+ years, 81% of them have not found long-term relationship success on "swipe apps." The evolution of dating is the transition from transactional dating which is focused on profiles to communities where there are much more organic ways to discover someone new. He mentioned that S'More is the first social network for singles powered by content.

LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and the online conference covers the Internet dating and Online Social Communities space. It is for members of IDEA and OSCA.

The June LTR was kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by Meet Group, FaceTec, OneRep, and Courtland Brooks

Two Sisters Created a Dating App for People With Disabilities

WASHINGTONPOST - Jacqueline and Alexa Child are launching Dateability, a dating app designed for disabled and chronically ill people. It carries the slogan "Making love accessible." "People with disabilities (PWD) are often discriminated against by other users on dating platforms, and not seen as potential partners." Jacqueline, who suffers from a connective-tissue disorder, had one bad encounter after another with potential dates. Then late last year, she decided to get surgery that would leave her with a feeding tube, making it so that she could no longer eat dinner out. She worried about what that might do to her dating life. That's when they came up with the idea for the app. Alexa described it as a way for them to "take the power and control back."

by Theresa Vargas
See full article at Washington Post

Two Former Match Group CEOs Join Global Private Equity Firm

BIZWOMEN - Advent today announced the appointments of Shar Dubey and Mandy Ginsberg, who collectively led Match Group for four years. The company said they will play key roles in building out Advent's consumer technology practice. Ginsberg served as CEO Match Group from 2018 to 2020 before transitioning the role to Dubey. Dubey stepped down in May and was replaced by Bernard Kim of Zynga, but continued to sit on Match's board and serve as an adviser. As of June 30, 2022, Advent International, based in Boston, had $96B in assets under management by 15 offices in 12 countries. The firm focuses on investments in business and financial services; health care; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology.

by Anne Stych
See full article at Bizwomen

Date 'Til You Drop: Couple.com Chases Speed-Dating Records

GLOBE NEWSWIRE - Couple.com, the Video-date platform, will attempt to claim several speed-dating records by hosting a free Date 'Til You Drop online event on Nov. 3 at 7pm ET in honor of National Sandwich Day. The event, which is "located" virtually and open to people across the globe, aims to connect and couple-up a record number of singles.

See full article at Globe Newswire

Plenty of Fish Introduces Dating Card Game "Cue'd up"

PR NEWSWIRE - With two-thirds (63%) of singles saying that breaking the ice is the hardest part about meeting someone new, Cue'd Up helps singles make better first impressions with conversation starters. Each Cue'd Up game consists of a small group of singles (six players max), and four rounds of gameplay. During each round, the players are presented with a humorous "cue" and are given 40 seconds to respond. From there, the responses are anonymously shared with the group and each player votes for their favorite answer.

The most popular questions in Cue'd Up initially include:
"I can't watch a movie without _____"
"My camera roll is full of _____"
"I could never date someone who hates _____"
"I never get tired of _____"

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on Plenty Of Fish

IDEA SUMMIT Paris Is Full

OPW - The IDEA SUMMIT in Paris, a by-invite-only gathering of CEOs and leaders of dating companies, is now full. Invitees can still join a waitlist, in case anyone bows out in the next month. The gathering is on Mon 28th Nov, in 39 days. This gathering is unusual because there are no attendees, just speakers. Everyone brings an idea worth sharing, and the suggested topics for this gathering is Innovation and M&A Strategy. The gathering is hosted by the CEO of happn, Karima ben Abdelmalek, and Mark Brooks. If you work in the dating industry, you're welcome to join the Internet Dating Excellence Association (IDEA.gp) by emailing [email protected].