VULCAN POST - May 31 - Lunch Actually branched out to launch an elite dating service in Singapore, Peerage. The term 'peerage' refers to a class of people who belong to nobility or gentry. Only singles with a minimum net worth of S$150K per year are eligible to join the pool of clients in Peerage.
by Alanna Tan
See full article at Vulcan Post
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OPW - Apr 18 - Want to get your head around Asia? There's a couple conferences we'd like to put on your radar. But best book soon, as they're coming up fast. They're in Singapore at the amazing Marina Sands Hotel. I'm speaking at both of them.
The 1st is the GDI Singapore Dating Conference on May 13-14th, and is 250 GBP. Leaders from Paktor, Pairs, The Meet Group, Matrimony and Spark Networks will be speaking.
The 2nd is the Global Love Conference on May 15-16th, is $295, and will be more matchmaking focused. Leaders from Viola.ai / Lunch Actually, 2 Red Beans, Paktor, and the Matchmaking Institute will be speaking. (Here's a feel good $50 discount code 50OFFSG)
I hope to see you there. - Mark Brooks
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OPW - Apr 9 - The Internet Dating Excellence Association World Officers Weekend happened over the weekend, and the IDEA SUMMIT happened Monday. Here's video summaries of our adventures in Chennai.
Day 1
Day 2
IDEA SUMMIT was a closed door event. It was a very full day of learning and sharing. 14 presentations were made by the CEO/Founder of Matrimony, CEO of Mamba, Chief Mobile Officer of Matrimony, CEO/Founder of Lunch Actually, CMO of Woo, CEO/Founder of Agape Match, CEO of LoveMe, MD of Insparx, Owner of SuccessfulMatch, Owner of Hubpeople, Co-founder of LoveMe, MD of Mamba, and CEO of BetterHalf.ai.
You can see the full information and line up here. Now we're working on the next event.
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RADIOSINGAPORE - Mar 18 - The presenters on "People In Our Neighbourhood" radio show chatted with Violet Lim, dating expert and CEO of Lunch Actually, about what's it like playing cupid in an age where the dating scene has changed so much due to technology.
Q: Why did you decide to set up a dating company?
A: At my first job at a bank I came across a lot of different people. I was surprised that a lot of my colleagues were single. I noticed that most of my friends who were getting married met their other half at the university. So I realized that if you miss that window, it is very hard to meet somebody later on. I had this idea of "lunch dating" and I could see how it would fit into the busy lifestyle of my colleagues.
Q: How do you help people?
A: Our focus now is on how to help people maximize their chances of meeting someone. Because just sending them on multiple dates might not help.
Q: How has Tinder and other dating apps affected your business?
A: They have actually helped our business. Before, people were not as open to using dating companies as they are now.
Q: How gratifying is to see people getting married?
A: It is very gratifying. One of the reasons I left the bank was that I could not see how my work translates to results.
Q: Do you have a secret book where you write down your successes?
A: 8 years ago, I published a book called Lessons from 15000 first dates. I have a new book coming up – What Dating Apps And Algorithms Do Not Tell You.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in working in the dating business?
A: Be very sure why you are joining this industry. It is very personal. Make sure this is your passion and you really want help singles find love. Understand it's not always an easy path, be a good listener, and don't be judgmental.
See full article at People In Our Neighbourhood
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VULCAN POST - Mar 5 - Singapore dating company Lunch Actually wants to help singles become their best selves to maximise their dating success. Lunch Actually co-founder and CEO Violet Lim said: "A simple tweak can make a whole big difference to a person and their dating life, but the industry has become so fixated only on arranging dates that they miss out on adding value to their clients' dating journey." The programme is customisable and personalised, with modules created based on today's dating challenges.
Some of the modules include:
The Dating Success Program is available for 4-months, 6-months and 12-months durations.
by Melissa Chan
See full article at Vulcan Post
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VULCAN POST - Feb 1 - Lunch Actually Group's CEO recently took to the stage at TEDxNTU to share what dating apps and algorithms don't tell us, and why true love actually happens offline. She spoke about her personal experience with dating, along with what she feels about dating services in the market now.
by Melissa Chan
See full article at Vulcan Post
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THE PEAK MAGAZINE - Dec 18 - In a partnership with Singapore Management University and AI Singapore, Lunch Actually is developing an AI chatbot called Viola. The aim is for it to possess the ability to send reminders of important occasions such as birthdays, suggest restaurant and activities, in the future, even dispense relationship advice. The chatbot will be fed with ~ 1.1B data points from Lunch Actually's database of feedback that it has collected over the years. The system will continue learning based on user interactions. Lunch Actually is one of the largest matchmaking companies in Southeast Asia, with ~1.4M users in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia. When the company was launched in 2004, it was very much a brick-and-mortar business, with applicants meeting a consultant before an arranged date. Later the dating app Lunchclick was born.
by Karen Tee
See full article at The Peak Magazine
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SOUTH ASIA GLOBE - Sep 6 - During a stint in the financial sector, Violet Lim spotted a trend in the industry: successful singles with no avenue for meeting potential partners. Most of her friends had found their partners in university, after which meeting new people became increasingly difficult. "The concept of lunch dating really resonated with me because I saw my colleagues taking a midday lunch breaks." She ran the idea past her then-boyfriend-now-husband, Jamie, and in 2004, the two decided to launch their own business - Lunch Actually, a dating service that connected busy professionals with lunch partners using traditional matchmaking consultations. The membership package would start at ~$2K. Right off the bat, Violet and Jamie landed $110K investment. Fourteen years on, Lunch Actually's platforms have expanded to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan, and acquired four competitors. It staffs of ~120 consultants and other professionals, has arranged 125K successful dates and has become a multimillion-dollar company.
by Janelle Retka
See full article at South Asia Globe
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BLOCKCHAIN NEWS - Mar 12 - The Singapore-based decentralized dating platform, Viola.AI will commence a public sale of its /VIOLA tokens on 14 March, having concluded a presale which allocated all 7.5M tokens five days early. The platform has also teamed up with retail network MegaX to build an artificial intelligence-driven shopping service aimed at millennials. Holders of /VIOLA tokens will now be able to make transactions in the MegaX retail network.
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BITCOIN - Mar 7 - Viola.AI, the blockchain and A.I-driven marketplace for dating, courtship and marriage, announces 7 new exciting partnerships with FarEastFlora.com, Love Florist, Roses Only, MemeFlorist.com, Heatwave Shoes, Creative Eateries and CSK Aesthetics to offer goods and services ranging from flowers, gifts, fashion, F&B and beauty in the Asia region which will be available on Viola.AI marketplace. Viola.AI is currently gearing towards their Public Sale on 14 March 2018. Whitelist is now open at www.viola.ai.
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FORBES - Feb 14 - One of Asia's oldest dating services - "Lunch Actually" - is jumping on the ICO (initial coin offering) bandwagon. The project, named Viola.AI, not only boasts real ID verification on the blockchain using smart contracts and digital wallets to weed out fake profiles, the dating service is decentralizing love advisory-leveraging machine learning. Similar to cloud-based, voice-controlled Alexa, Viola aims to act as an intelligent personal relationship assistant with the goal of sustaining couples from courtship to marriage. The cryptographic token issued from the ICO will serve as a community currency in the Viola marketplace.
by Pamela Ambler
See full article at Forbes
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BITCOINIST - Jan 19 - Viola.AI, the first project that combines love and blockchain, has secured over 70% of its pre-sale hard cap, with ~5M tokens sold. Viola.AI, was created by the team behind Lunch Actually Group.
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CNN MONEY - Jan 17 - Singapore native Violet Lim is the founder of Lunch Actually, a personalized service that matches customers with a lunch date. Fourteen years later, she says her company has created ~3K successful pairings. It now operates in six Asian cities with a total of 1.4M users. Last year, the company unveiled plans for Viola.AI, an app that uses A.I. to help singletons find their match and blockchain technology to verify people's identity. It hopes to launch the service globally this year. The group has also acquired a number of other businesses - dating app Love Out Loud Asia and Thai dating company MeetNLunch and Indonesia-based online dating platform Setipe. In 2016, Lunch Actually set up a joint venture with Japanese internet dating company Diverse Co to launch a premium dating service in Japan.
by Andrea Lo
See full article CNN Money
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MEDIUM.COM - Jan 12 - The latest additions to Viola.AI line-up of ICO advisors are:
Viola.AI is a dating and relationship A.I. that generates dating and relationship content for every user based on their relationship stage.
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INVEZZ.COM - Dec 28 - Viola.ai uses the blockchain and artificial intelligence to support the dating process and the evolving relationship status. They're targeting $17M in the ICO. Viola.ai was created by Lunch Actually Group. The upcoming ICO is scheduled for February 2018. The ICO pre-sale is unfolding now. Viola.ai believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is the future of dating. Think of Viola, which the company refers to as a "she," as a dating adviser that can provide users with an analysis of their personality and compatibility, which they say can improve relationships, as well as real ID verification of users on the platform.
by Gerelyn Terzo
See full article at Invezz
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PRESS RELEASE - Nov 27 - Lunch dating company Lunch Actually Group is introducing a new project called Viola.AI, and launching its first Initial Coin Offering (ICO); set to commence its private pre-sale today. Viola.AI is a dating and relationship A.I. that generates dating and relationship content for every user based on their relationship stage. The Group is currently exploring a collaboration opportunity with AI Singapore, a government programme in Artificial Intelligence (AI) aimed to boost the nation's AI capabilities. Viola.AI project has also secured a grant from the Partner Connection Fund, an enabler fund by the Singapore Government that supports promising dating ideas.
See full article at Internet Dating Newswire
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ASIA ONE - June 12 - Lunch Actually founder Violet Lim gave corporate life a shot but came to the conclusion that she should start her own business. It was due to her job at a bank that allowed her to see a gap in the market. "I noticed a lot of my colleagues were single. Her friends who were about to tie the knot had met each other in university. "If you miss that opportunity, it gets more difficult. It's a real thing." Lim and her husband Jamie Lee founded Lunch Actually in 2004. Today, her company boasts ~100 employees with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia. They have arranged 63k dates across Asia.
by Andrea Saadan
See full article at Asia One
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THE MIDDLE GROUND - May 23 - Lunch Actually is the largest dating agency in Singapore, which celebrates its 13th year in business this year.
Q: How has the dating scene evolved these past 13 years?
A: The perception has changed. Rather than waiting for friends to introduce potential partners to them, many singles are now turning to professional dating agencies.
Q: What are your most surprising revelations about the dating scene in Singapore?
A: A survey we conducted last year revealed that technology made dating more complicated. 38% of women, who are dating men they met online, are unsure if the men are still dating other people. On the other hand, 36% of men admitted to losing interest easily.
Q: How has dating apps such as Tinder, CMB, Happn, Paktor, affected Lunch Actually?
A: I do not see them as competition, but as opportunities for us to also evolve and keep innovating.
Q: Can you share any upcoming plans for Lunch Actually?
A: We would like to expand into more markets in the region as well as offer more services to reach out to more singles.
See full article at The Middle Ground
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PRESS RELEASE - May 8 - South East Asia's largest dating company, Lunch Actually Group, has acquired Indonesia's biggest dating service, Setipe. Both Lunch Actually Group and Setipe has been targeting singles who are looking for serious relationship. Founder and CEO of Setipe, Razi Thalib, and his team will join the 110 people-strong team of associates (also known as Cupids and Transformers) at the Lunch Actually Group.
See full article at Internet Dating Newswire
See all posts on Lunch Actually
See all posts on Setipe
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
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PRESS RELEASE - Mar 24 - A new premium Japanese dating service, Tailor, was launched last week. Tailor is a collaborative venture between Japanese Internet dating corporation Diverse Co., Ltd. and Lunch Actually. Modeled after Lunch Actually business model, this newly launched Japanese dating service is geared towards single Japanese business professionals in their late 20s to early 40s. Fueled by Lunch Actually's proprietary matching system 'Soulseek', the dating consultants at Tailor find and handpick compatible matches for each client.
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