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

Fireside Chat With Colin Hodge, President of DOWN Dating App

LTR - Colin Hodge, President and Co-Founder of DOWN Dating App, shares the fascinating journey of creating the app, originally known as Bang with Friends. He discusses how the app was born from a spontaneous idea, quickly became a viral sensation, and underwent significant transformations, including a rebrand and a challenging removal from the Apple App Store. Despite these hurdles, Colin emphasizes perseverance and staying true to their mission of promoting sex-positive, shame-free dating. He also highlights the app's evolution, including innovative features like Snap Match, which connects users internationally for real-time flirting and cultural exchange.

[**See the video here on Youtube**]

The August LTR was kindly sponsored by ParshipMeet Group, RealMe, Dating Through Curiosity, along with Courtland Brooks and Matchmaker.com

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Dating App Down Is Using AI to Catch Catfishers

WOMEN LOVE TECH - Colin Hodge, founder of the Down Dating App, uses AI to combat catfishing. The app employs AI to detect fake profiles and scams by analyzing user conversations and photos. Initially, terms like "money" triggered flags, leading to false bans, but AI has improved accuracy by understanding context. Face detection technology helps identify and block scammers more efficiently. This approach has significantly increased user matches and overall user satisfaction, making the app both safer and more effective for its users.

by Marie-Antoinette Issa
See full article at Women Love Tech

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6 Lessons on Perseverance for Entrepreneurs

ENTREPRENEUR - Colin Hodge, founder of the dating app DOWN, shares six lessons on perseverance for entrepreneurs in an article originally appearing on Calendar. He emphasizes the importance of seeking honest feedback from trusted advisors to gain clarity on business viability. Setting ambitious yet manageable SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based) helps maintain focus and motivation. Developing a five-year plan with clear objectives and tactical steps is crucial for long-term growth. Breaking down complex projects into smaller tasks reduces overwhelm and enhances productivity. Embracing uncertainty is vital, as it is a constant in business. Finally, hiring passionate people who share your vision ensures long-term success.

by Howie Jones
See full article at Entrepreneur

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Gen Z Trends: DOWN Dating App Founder Shares Insights

FORBES - DOWN Dating App founder Colin Hodge highlights Gen Z's preferences for quick, curated digital interactions and privacy. The app responded to these needs by improving its user experience and privacy measures, significantly increasing Gen Z engagement. Gen Z grew up connected online, and its members are accustomed to quickly processing huge amounts of information to find what they want. They want to get the information really quickly. "In the next five years, I suspect we'll see more and more pieces of dating apps automated," he says. "Imagine a profile almost entirely built using your content from other media, automatically selecting the most appealing photos, videos, even your bio." Concurrently, Gen Z's penchant for privacy While encouraging a private, safe environment, DOWN aims for a multi-platform verification standard, boosting user confidence.

by Jeff Fromm
See full article at Forbes

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How the Founder of Dating App DOWN Fought for His 'Casual Sex' App in Silicon Valley

TECHROUND - Colin Hodge, CEO and Co-Founder of Bang With Friends, shares the journey of launching a controversial app in Silicon Valley. The app quickly gained popularity, reaching 1M users within 3.5 months. However, it faced challenges, including bans from Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store and a trademark infringement lawsuit from Zynga. After rebranding to DOWN, the company persevered and celebrated its 10-year anniversary in January. With ~10M users, DOWN has seen a 500% increase in its user match-rate and a 268% revenue growth since 2019, making it a profitable top 20 dating app in the USA.

by Dana Leigh
See full article at Techround

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The Bang With Friends Story

ENTREPRENEURSHIP HANDBOOK - Colin Hodge created "Bang With Friends," a Facebook app for users to see which friends were interested in casual sex. It quickly gained popularity, surpassing Tinder, but faced legal challenges and rebranded to "DOWN." Despite setbacks, including an Apple ban and a lawsuit from Zynga, the app continued to grow. Hodge navigated failed acquisitions, pivoted business models, and eventually reacquired the company. Today, DOWN has ~10M users and continues to influence the online dating culture with significant revenue growth.

by Colin Hodge
See full article at Entrepreneurship Handbook

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How DOWN Dating App Shifted Online Dating Culture

READWRITE - The DOWN Dating App, originally launched as "Bang With Friends" in 2013, changed online dating by focusing openly on casual hookups. It gained popularity quickly, even surpassing Tinder initially. The app's honest approach influenced other dating platforms to be more transparent. DOWN's features, like location-based matching and a three-directional swipe system (up for serious, down for casual), offer a tailored user experience. The app continues to evolve with tools like "3Some" and "Snap Match," promoting a safe, sex-positive environment.

by Deanna Ritchie
See full article at ReadWrite

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Colin Hodge on Managing Startup Finances

TECH ROUND - Colin Hodge, founder of DOWN Dating App, shares financial management tips from his entrepreneurial journey. During tight times, he ran the app with a minimal team, handling marketing and development himself to save money. In prosperous periods, he hired professionals to enhance efficiency and impact, maintaining a financial buffer. He advises startups to use promotions and startup programs to extend their runway, utilize free accounting tools, and set up financial alerts. Hodge also emphasizes global arbitrage, suggesting sourcing talent and services from cost-effective regions to save money and sustain business growth.

See full article at Tech Round

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DOWN Hookup & Dating App Introduces New Feature

TECH ROUND - In September 2021, the DOWN Hookup & Dating App introduced "Snap Match," a quick-matching feature that randomly connects users globally. This feature was developed in response to increased user loneliness during the pandemic, contributing to the app's significant growth in revenue and user numbers. "Snap Match" has been widely adopted, with 71% of members using it shortly after joining. The app focuses on facilitating real personal connections and plans to enhance "Snap Match" with new features like conversation icebreakers. DOWN aims to provide a platform for both casual hookups and serious relationships in a sex-positive environment.

See full article at Tech Round

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DOWN Hookup App's New "Snap Match" Feature Gets Users Virtual Connections Instantly

DATINGXP - May 19 - DOWN Dating & Hookup App launches Snap Match, a quick matching feature, which allows users to find virtual connections almost instantly, around the world. This feature was just launched this week, it's free and available on both Android and iOS.

by Mary J. Gibson
See full article at DatingXP

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Paktor Moves Into Live-streaming Via Merger Deal

TECH CRUNCH - Apr 26 - Dating app Paktor, 'The Tinder of Southeast Asia,' is moving into live-streaming and media content after it announced a merger deal with Taiwanese startup 17 Media. Paktor currently offers four dating apps - core service Paktor and acquired apps Down, Kickoff and Goodnight - while 17 Media's runs its 17 live-streaming app, photo social network Swag and video group chat service Lit. The new entity is expecting ~$100M in annual revenue and 50M users. The list of established companies moving into streaming is nearly endless. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Momo, and fast-growing Kuaishou among others.

by Jon Russell
See full article at Tech Crunch

Update: M17 has raised an undisclosed amount in investment from Korean VC firm KTB Network as part of a larger round, which is due to close in a few weeks.

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Paktor Continues Spending Spree: Acquires Taiwan's Goodnight

SG NEWS - Feb 8 - Founded in 2015, Goodnight matches people with common interests, after which, they can engage in a voice chat of up to seven minutes. It claims a user base of ~500K. Paktor has formed a new division called Paktor Labs, which is a social apps accelerator headed by Colin Hodge, previously CEO and co-founder of Down and Sweet (two dating apps Paktor bought last month). Down and Sweet, Goodnight and Kickoff (acquired last May) will all be part of Paktor Labs. These newly acquired apps will increase Paktor's user base by ~7M, bringing the total number to 20M users.

by Yon Heong Tung
See full article at SGNews

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Paktor Acquires Casual Dating App Down

TECH CRUNCH - Jan 21 - The terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but the price was reportedly "several million". Colin Hodge, the founder and CEO of Down, will join the Paktor team and will run Down and Sweet apps. He will also be overseeing Paktor Labs and be responsible for acquiring other apps, amongst other things. Down started in 2013 (as Bang With Friends) and grew to 5M downloads, about 200k MAU and $1M annual revenue from in-app purchases.

by Katie Roof
See full article at Tech Crunch

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

From Casual to Sweet: Colin Hodge's New Dating App Targets Asia

TECH IN ASIA - Colin Hodge, founder of the Bang With Friends and DOWN apps, is launching a new dating app called Sweet, targeting a more romantic and less casual market, especially in Asia. Sweet aims to provide a wholesome dating experience by encouraging personalized compliments over generic messages. The app has seen significant growth, with 3.3 million users and 100,000 new users monthly. Hodge plans to expand Sweet in Southeast Asia, focusing on urban women seeking meaningful connections. Sweet has joined the MOX accelerator in Taiwan to help navigate the regional market and growth strategies.

by Erik Crouch
See full article at Tech in Asia

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Down Is Introducing Anonymous Texting

NY MAGAZINE - Jan 30 - Down, formerly known as Bang With Friends, is planning to introduce anonymous texting as a new feature of its hookup-centric dating app. Down tested out anonymous texting on Sunday, with 1% of its total users. Straight females were slightly more likely to send messages compared to straight men. To rein in the potential for anonymous harassment, Down will permit each user to message a given number only once.

by Maggie Lange
See full article at NY Magazine

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