PRESS RELEASE - Social Discovery Ventures (also known as Dating Group), a global tech company with ~40 brands, an investment fund, and a venture studio, is rebranding to Social Discovery Group. The company's venture studio is renamed to SDG Lab.
23 posts categorized "Dating.com Group"
Social Discovery Ventures Rebrands to Social Discovery Group
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Dating Group's Acquisition of Cupid Media Creates a Perfect Match
TECHBULLION - In July of 2021, Dating Group acquired Cupid Media in a deal worth $51M. Dating Group's acquisition of Cupid Media created an enterprise with projected annual revenue of $300M, ~140M users, 45 dating apps in its portfolio and 100 countries covered by its products. Its portfolio now includes Dating.com, Once, XOXO, Tubit, DilMil, Cupid Media's portfolio of ~33 sites. According to Bill Alena, the company's Chief Investment Officer, Dating Group will continue to invest in or acquire companies that fit its vision for the future of social discovery.
See full article at TechBullion
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See the top news on Cupid Media
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Dating Group Issues Statement on the War in Ukraine
BUSINESSWIRE - Dating Group is against the act of war and condemns the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The company has now blocked access to their products from both Russia and Belarus. They have also closed their office in Belarus and are liquidating the company assets that are there. Dating Group operates 45 dating apps including Dating.com, Cupid Media, Once, XOXO, Tubit, DilMil, etc.
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What's Next for the Online Dating Industry
BENZINGA - The online dating industry is now transforming into something much bigger. As Dating Group Chief Strategy Officer, KJ Dhaliwal, explains, the dating industry is about more than just dating; it's all about social discovery. "Personal connections aren't always going to be about romance," said Dhaliwal. "Relationships can be for platonic friendship, entertainment, hobbies, travel, work…. you name it. And that's social discovery; people connecting around mutual interests and creating deeply personal long-term, non-ephemeral interactions." Dating Group is betting heavily on metaverse, travel, music and video. Match Group recently revealed that it has its eyes fixed upon the metaverse. Match Group CEO Shar Dubey said, "Now, the technology allows us to create experiences online where people can meet and discover each other more serendipitously and real-time through shared experiences in a way that is more akin to how they would do in real life." On the other hand, Bumble has indicated that it is keeping its sights on the online dating category. The company has recently acquired Gen Z dating platform Fruitz for an undisclosed sum.
by JT Ripton
See full article at Benzinga
See the top news on Dating Group
See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Bumble
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Dating.com: International Dating Trends in 2022
PR NEWSWIRE - Dating.com, part of the Dating Group - the company behind 30 online dating sites, with offices and dating experts in seven countries - released new data from its latest survey on the top international dating trends in 2022.
- In the UK, 45% of singles are sending gifts to potential dates before meeting in person
- In France, 63% of singles travels ~70 miles to meet their date
- North Americans are chatty. In the U.S., singles are more likely to meet up with their match after 30 messages are exchanged, while most Canadians wait until they've exchanged 100 messages on average.
- Worldwide, 38% of singles are open to dating someone who doesn't speak the same language as them.
- Singles in North America are spending the most on first dates, citing an average of $300. Europeans come in next, spending ~$150 to impress their potential match.
See full article at PR Newswire
See the top news on Dating.com
See the top news on Dating Group
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Dating Group Acquires Cupid Media for $51M
MOBILE MARKETING MAGAZINE - July 28 - Dating Group has acquired Cupid Media, an international dating company with 33 websites and a global presence for $51M (£36.77M). Cupid Media's portfolio consists of 11 core sites, including AsianDating, LatinAmericanCupid, Muslima, FilipinoCupid, ThaiCupid, and InternationalCupid. Together, the sites will boast an average of 7M monthly active users. Dating Group expects to increase its revenue to $300M.
by Gabby Fernie
See full article at Mobile Marketing Magazine
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See the top news on Cupid Media
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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Dating.com Survey: 75% of Singles Plan to Spend $100 on a First Date Meal
PR NEWSWIRE - July 26 - Dating.com surveyed its members to unveil how deep they are going to empty their pockets, and found:
- 75% of singles plan to spend ~$100 on a meal
- 65% of respondents are planning to take their first date on an excursion or outdoor adventure. Of the 65%, 40% plan to spend ~$500
- 45% of those surveyed had made connections with people in other cities and plan to visit them to meet in person for the first time
Dating Group has offices in 7 countries and a team of ~500 professionals with ~73M registered users across their portfolio which includes Dating.com, DateMyAge, LovingA, Tubit, AnastasiaDate, ChinaLove.
See full article at PR Newswire
See the top news on Dating.com
See the top news on Dating Group
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Dating Group Completes DilMil Acquisition
PRESS RELEASE - May 24 - Dating Group, the parent company of Dating.com, DateMyAge, XOXO, Tubit, ChinaLove, and DilMil, has completed the acquisition of DilMil and plans a major expansion of its operations within India. In 2020, Dating Group signed the terms of the acquisition with DilMil investors and its founder, KJ Dhaliwal. Upon completion of the acquisition, Mr. Dhaliwal joined Dating Group and was appointed Chief Strategy Officer. Since the acquisition a little more than a year ago, DilMil has seen a 50% growth and a 38% increase in active users.
See full article at EinPresswire
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See the top news on Dil Mil
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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Dating Group's Plans for $50M Venture Fund
EINPRESSWIRE - Apr 28 - Dating Group, the parent company of Dating.com, DateMyAge, Promise, Tubit, ChinaLove, and Dil Mil, closed a $50M corporate venture capital fund in 2020 to continue investing in services and IT companies that meet their mission. By the end of Q1 2021, Dating Group acquired a "slow dating" app, Once, for $18M. This was 14 months after Dating Group acquired Dil Mil, the growing app used by South Asian expats to meet in the U.S. "Our strategy includes acquiring innovative companies with a differentiated product-market fit and building products that will create a more robust ecosystem of social discovery," said KJ Dhaliwal, Chief Strategy Officer of Dating Group.
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Dating Group Acquires Slow Dating App Once for $18M
WUV.DE - Jan 19 - Once, the dating app that connects two people once a day with the help of AI, has been acquired by Dating Group for $18M (a combination of cash and Dating Group shares). Once claims ~10M users, and is popular in Germany, France and Italy. Clémentine Lalande, Once CEO, will continue to lead the company. The 37-year-old founded another feminist dating app, called Pickable, which she sold to Once in May 2019, and became the CEO.
by Nadia Riaz
See full article at Wuv.de
See the top news on Once
See the top news on Pickable
See the top news on Dating Group
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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How Working From Home Makes Us Responsible and Productive - Dmitriy Volkov
INC - Oct 28 - Covid is eating us from the inside. This will continue for an indefinite time: a year and a half. Someone will adapt. When everyone switched to remote work, the question began to torment me: how many invisible e-employees and e-part-timers do I have? Those who will manage to do nothing or receive two or three salaries from different organizations for full-time work. 90% of my their effectiveness has increased. I asked managers .
In 2013, a large-scale experiment in China showed that if employees worked from home 4 out of 5 working days, their productivity increased. Workers are less distracted at home. Another study concluded those working from home were more satisfied, productive and loyal to the employer, and became more autonomous - it became easier for them to make decisions.
- At home, I myself determine what and when to work. This allows me to focus better.
- Now I can make decisions not only during working hours, but also in the evening and in the morning.
- Now I am not distracted by my colleague Eva when she cuts her nails on my desk.
Consider your...
- transparency of communications
- clear areas of responsibility
- trust between managers and subordinates
- open access to information
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Dating Group CVC Fund, Q&A With Managing Partner Bill Alena
FINSMES - Oct 14 - Dating Group, a Malta-based social discovery platform, which operates several online dating brands, raised a $50M fund earlier this year. Dating Group CVC Fund Managing Partner Bill Alena answered questions about its mission and future plans.
Q: What's your background?
A: I've been in the dating and social space for 14 years. Previous to joining Dating Group I was the CRO of The Meet Group for 11 years.
Q: What's the mission behind the fund?
A: It has multiple missions. We want to help the industry grow. We also believe we can be so much more to companies than just the money. Lastly, we want to invest in companies that might be interesting for us to fully acquire in the future.
Q: How does Dating Group CVC fund differentiate from other VC funds investing in dating projects?
A: As a company that already owns over 15 brands in the dating space, we know what we're doing. We hope to offer more than just an investment but access to numerous resources.
Q: What does a startup need for you to invest?
A: We have to believe in that entrepreneur and the team. We are looking for passion and ideally a past history of success. A quality product and vision is vital.
Q: How many companies have you already invested in?
A: We just began the fund in March. To date we've only made two investments.
Q: Why does this industry attract you and keeps you engaged?
A: It's always changing. There's always something new and exciting on the horizon.
Q: How positive are you for the future of the online dating industry?
A: There is a universal need to find love and I expect the industry to continue to grow. I think the pandemic helped us evolve faster than we might have with things like video.
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Q&A With Bill Alena, Managing Partner of Dating Group CVC Fund
VATOR.TV - June 6 - The fund is part of investment firm SDVentures. Bill Alena is a Digital Media and Dating specialist with ~20 years of experience. For 11 years he served as The Meet Group's CRO where he joined pre-revenue and helped grow the business to ~$200M annually.
Q: What is your investment philosophy or methodology?
Bill Alena: First off, we're part of SDVentures, which is a larger company that really has two groups. We're the corporate VC arm, which is focused solely on dating. Dmitri Volkov, the founder of SDVentures, as well as Dating Group, started this fund to help fund people and also to spur the industry. He wanted to give the industry more energy and more competitors. It's a $50M fund, and we're doing seed, Series As and and, potentially, Bs.
Q: What's the opportunity you see in the dating space right now? Why is it exciting?
A: Video is hot now. Everything that's been coming up slowly is going to be super hyper sped.
Q: How many investments do you plan to make in a year going forward?
A: I don't want to put any numbers on it right now.
Q: How much do you want to invest each time?
A: Maximum of ~$5M.
Q: What kind of traction does a startup need for you to invest? Do you have any specific numbers?
A: We're going to need to see a product. I doubt that we're going to invest in anything that hasn't been built yet. We need to like the concept and, most importantly, the founders. There's no specific metric line that we'll be requiring when looking at somebody.
Q: You mentioned the team being the most important thing. What do you look for in a team you want to invest in?
A: First, we love to see some past success. Have they had any other business? Have they had any exits? What did that look like? Frankly, if they failed, that's okay too, if you understand why and how. Oftentimes, that can be a good thing. Personally, I look for folks that are sharp and smart, but, most importantly, I like to see that they have commitment to the business.
Q: There are many venture funds out there today, how do you differentiate yourself to limited partners?
A: We are really good at dating.
Q: Venture is a two-way street, where investors also have to pitch themselves. How do you differentiate your fund to entrepreneurs?
A: We have a board of directors of C-level and former senior level executives that were focused on this particular ecosystem. So, there's access to people that we're going to bring to you.
Q: What are some of the investments you've made that you're super excited about?
A: S'More, a dating app that's focused on giving more control back. One of the things I like about it is that it has blurry images and users have to get to know somebody before they can see their photos. The founder is great, he's been in dating for 10 years and he's really high energy.
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The Top Dating Industry News for March 24th
OPW - Mar 24 - Dating on the Rise, Free Premium Features, POF Livestreaming, Dating.com VC Fund.
For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts
, Spotify
, Anchor
, Stitcher
, Overcast
, Radio Public
or Apple Podcasts
. Listen to the trailer for the channel.
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Dating.com Group Launches $50 Million Corporate VC Fund
PULSE 2.0 - Mar 20 - The fund will invest in companies and projects in the dating space. Dating.com Group has recently acquired India-based Dil Mil - which is known as the "Tinder for South Asians". Some of the company's other apps include Dating.com, AnastasiaDate.com, Tubit, DateMyAge, AsianDate.com, and AfricanDate.com. The first investment was in S'More - which is a dating app encourages users to learn more about a person before looking at profile photos.
by Amit Chowdhry
See full article at Pulse 2.0
See the top news on Dating.com Group
See the top news on Dil Mil
See the top news on S'More
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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