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

Love You on Tinder. On Hinge, Not So Much.

NEW YORK TIMES - With many dating apps available to suit virtually any preference, each with its own unofficial norms and expectations, it's no surprise that users modulate their personalities from one dating app to the next. Whereas an app like Hinge incentivizes leading with details that suggest users are serious about finding a relationship, an app like Feeld welcomes those who put their kinkiest foot forward. Users adjust accordingly. David Coursi, a 29-year-old copy editor at an advertising agency, said that he almost had a missed connection with one woman he first matched with on Tinder - until she found him to be more appealing on Hinge.

by Gina Cherelus
See full article at New York Times

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A Hookup App for the Emotionally Mature

THE NEW YORKER - Feeld describes itself as a technology for "open-minded singles and couples who want to explore their sexuality." It is free to sign up, although a paid membership, priced at $12/month, offers perks such as filters and let someone know that they like them. The app started in London. The app is popular with nonbinary and trans people, married couples trying to spice up their sex lives, hard-core B.D.S.M. enthusiasts, and "digisexuals," who prefer their erotic contact with others mediated by a screen. According to the company's data, the typical Feeld user is between twenty-five and thirty years old and lives in a big city. Feeld began, in 2014, with the story of Dimo Trifonov and Ana Kirova, two Bulgarian graphic designers in their early twenties who were living in London. Early in their relationship, Ana started having unexpected feelings for a French woman she'd met. They agreed to open their relationship. Trifonov decided to create his own app to facilitate threesomes. He called the project 3nder. After Tinder a cease-and-desist letter, which was followed by a trademark-infringement lawsuit, Trifonov rebranded the company as Feeld.

by Emily Witt
See full article at The New Yorker

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Sextortion Plaguing LGBTQ+ Dating Apps

AARP - Instead of seeking companionship on dating apps geared to the LBGTQ+ community, scammers are extorting others for cash or compromising photos. The fraud, called sextortion, has led the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue a warning after complaints from users of sites such as Grindr, Feeld and other dating apps. Typically, the offender poses as a potential partner on an LGBTQ+ dating app, sends their own explicit photos and asks for some in return. The scammer then threatens to share the images and conversation with the victim's friends, family or employer unless the target sends money, usually via a gift card.

by Katherine Skiba
See full article at AARP

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Dating App Feeld Announces Minimum Salary of $80K for All Employees

PR NEWSWIRE - Feeld, the dating app with ~20 sexuality and gender options, announces all employees across the globe will be receiving a minimum salary of $80K (£60K) from January 2022. The new salary announcement, which will impact close to 40% of Feeld's full time staff, comes as the leadership team continues to be as transparent and accountable as possible whilst challenging the industry benchmarks.

See full article at PR Newswire

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Podcast: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

WID - In celebration of Global Diversity Awareness month, Women In Dating sponsored a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion podcast featuring Dayo Akinrinade (Africlick), Ana Kirova (Feeld) and Alexis Luerssen (Match) to discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion within, and how their companies are offering equal opportunities to everyone.

See full article at Women in Dating website

FTC Warns of Extortionists Targeting LGBTQ+ Community on Dating Apps

BLEEPING COMPUTER - The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns of scammers targeting the LGBTQ+ community via apps such as Grindr and Feeld. Fraudsters pose as potential romantic partners on LGBTQ+ dating apps, sending explicit photos and asking their targets to reciprocate. Victims are blackmailed to pay a ransom, usually in gift cards, under the threat of leaking the imagery. To make threats more credible scammers will state the names of exactly who they plan to contact (found online by using a phone number or social media profile) if victims don't pay up. The FTC advises LGBTQ+ dating apps users to avoid sharing explicit photos. Online dating platforms including Grindr and Feeld have also warned their users.

This warning comes after a similar one issued by the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) who has seen a massive increase in sextortion complaints since January 2021, leading to financial losses of over $8 million until the end of July. It received 16k+ sextortion complaints thru July 31, almost half of them from victims age 20-39. Victims should contact law enforcement, and file a complaint with the FBI IC3 immediately at www.ic3.gov.

by Sergiu Gatlan
See full article at Bleeping Computer

Meet Feeld's CEO Ana Kirova

ELLE.COM - July 15 - Ana Kirova is the newly appointed CEO of Feeld, the new dating app for the sexually curious, to put it lightly. She believes the traditional rules for love, sex and relationships - such as deciding on your sexuality and sticking to it, or being committed to one person for life - are outdated. Feeld encourages users to search for connections based on shared sexual desires. Open-mindedness is key. Kirova is confident that the demand is there, pointing to research that shows one third of Americans say their ideal relationship is non-monogamous and that 35% of Gen Z question monogamous relationships. "New generations are more fluid,' she says. "They don't care so much about being straight or anything at all. They want to connect and live a life that is full and real." Kirova met Feeld founder Dimo Trifonov at a party while at university but, two months into their relationship, she started to have feelings for a woman she worked with. She wrote Trifonov a letter explaining her thoughts as a way to process them. He responded with care and warmth, explaining how ridiculous it was to feel so bad about something so normal. In response, Trifonov developed what is now Feeld (originally called 3nder - pronounced 'thrinder'): an app designed for twosomes to become threesomes, foursomes or moresomes.

by Becky Burgum
See full article at Elle.com

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Feeld, The 'App for Threesomes', Names Ana Kirova New CEO

PR NEWSWIRE - Apr 6 - Feeld, the world's largest dating app for singles and couples seeking open relationships, has appointed a new female CEO: Ana Kirova. Kirova takes over from Dimo Trifonov, who in 2014 founded the app inspired by Kirova and their relationship.

See full article at PR Newswire

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The Rise of Multi-partner Relationships

BBC - Mar 27 - In 2016, a survey of 9K single US adults showed that one in five had previously been in a consensually non-monogamous relationship. A Canadian survey came up with roughly the same numbers a year later. Multiple non-monogamy-geared dating apps make it easy to find others looking for multiple partner relationships or sexual experiences. On Feeld, a poly and kink dating app, 60% of couples are looking for a third, says a company spokesperson.

by Jessica Klein
See full article at BBC

See the top news on Feeld

There's Still no Good Dating App for Non-monogamous People

MASHABLE - Feb 5 - One in five Americans have engaged in consensual non-monogamy. And yet, there are no good dating apps for non-monogamous people. Many of the apps used by the non-monogamous community are "trash" or solely for sex, said Steve Dean, online dating consultant at Dateworking.com, a dating coaching and consulting business. Dean, whose been non-monogamous for the past nine years, referred to one called Pure, as "Uber for sex." Feeld is another one that falls into the hooking up category. Then there is #open, an app that claims to be an inclusive community for any type of user. 94% of the app's 40K users report they prefer some form of open relationship, according to #open's cofounder Amanda Wilson. The most "mainstream" app that provides a tailored experience to non-monogamous people is OkCupid. In 2016, OkCupid added a feature for polyamorous couples. It subsequently replaced its "open relationship" status option with the term "non-monogamous." Dean said OKC is the best app for non-monogamous people right now, but technical changes have made it "virtually useless." This is because a 2017 change that filtered out unwanted messages had an adverse effect.

by Anna Iovine
See full article at Mashable

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Dating Apps Need to Offer Something More Than Swiping

FORBES - Jan 23 - ~25M people use dating apps, and the online dating sector will be worth $12B by the end of 2020. Worldwide, however, dating app downloads for the 15 most-popular apps decreased to 247M in 2018, from 256M in 2017. The swiping format that once felt fresh and exciting has proved fruitless for many. esearch suggests that compulsive swiping makes people feel lonelier. "People are looking for deeper connections, a deeper way of getting to know someone beyond a photo level," says Adam Cohen-Aslatei, the founder and CEO of S'More. S'More bills itself as a "relationship app", and directs users to interact with each others' profiles before sending messages or even seeing pictures. Apps that target a certain age bracket, ethnicity or religious community, also have a chance to do well. Other companies are trying to bridge the gap between online and real life connections. Last year Feeld, an app aimed at non-monogamous singles and couples, launched the Feeld Social - events with interactive talks and performances.

by Franki Cookney
See full article at Forbes

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Feeld: A Dating App for Three, Plus

NEW YORK TIMES - Mar 20 - Feeld app was released in 2014 by Dimo Trifonov and Ana Kirova, two graphic designers living in London, as 3nder. They hoped to appeal to individuals and partners looking to join or have threesomes. But after Tinder filed a lawsuit and the company rebranded as Feeld , the founders said they welcomed the opportunity to expand the mission of the app. "Feeld is a platform for alternative dating, for people who are beyond labels," said Ms. Kirova. ~35% of users are on the app with a partner, and 45% identify as something other than heterosexual. The company struggled to find funding at first. Many investors considered the app "adult entertainment," which venture capitalists tend to avoid. Eventually an angel investor swooped in to save Feeld, but the fact that the business is sex-related has presented other challenges. The money transfer app TransferWise temporarily blocked Feeld's ability to collect money for paid memberships. Mr. Trifonov also claims he was refused an office rental because the landlord didn't approve of the nature of their business. Now, the company is up and running more or less smoothly, with 20 people employed.

by Haley Mlotek
See full article at New York Times

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Feeld, The Ex Threesome App Relaunches

BUSINESSMOLE - Dec 7 - Feeld, the first dating service for both singles and couples, has recently been re-released with a completely new design that is targeted to mobile users. Feeld was first launched back in 2014. It was designed for couples who were looking to meet up with other singles and/or couples that wanted to open up and try a different type of relationship. Feeld now allows a pairing option that can link accounts, and it also has a redesigned interface and navigation system. It also has a location changing feature.

by Beth Haven
See full article at BusinessMole

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Work-Chat Platform Slack Rejected Feeld Dating Bot

THE ATLANTIC - May 10 - Slack, the work-chat platform has shut down a dating bot from dating app Feeld designed for the office. Feeld released the bot recently to alert users who mutually expressed romantic interest that they liked each other. Slack has decided not to list Feeld's bot in its app directory.

by Julie Beck
See full article at The Atlantic

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Team Communication Platform Slack Is Now Also A Dating App

QUARTZ - Apr 28 - Slack, the team messaging platform, has partnered with Feeld, a dating app originally created for threesomes, to create "Feeld for Slack" - a bot that allows employees to share who they have a crush on. That might make many employees uncomfortable, even if they opt out. Slack has yet to release a statement on Feeld for Slack.

by Leah Fessler
See full article at Quartz

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team