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

by David Bentley
See full article at Blockchain News

Sep 10, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blockchain Dating Platform Viola.AI Set For ICO

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.

See full article at Bitcoin.com

Mar 12, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dating App Viola.AI Partners With 7 New Lifestyle Merchants In Asia

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.

by Pamela Ambler
See full article at Forbes

Mar 07, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

AI And The Blockchain In Online Dating

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.

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See full article at Bitcoinist

Feb 14, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

World's First AI & Blockchain Viola.AI Raises 70% Of Pre-Sale Hard Cap With 2 Weeks Left

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.

Jan 23, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Meet Violet Lim, The Woman That Brought Lunchtime Dating To Asian Cities

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

by Christina Thung
See full article at Medium

Jan 18, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

7 More Crypto Experts Join Viola.AI Advisory Board

MEDIUM.COM - Jan 12 - The latest additions to Viola.AI line-up of ICO advisors are:

Prakash Somosundram, Serial Entrepreneur, Fintech Influencer, Singapore Government Advisor
Kenneth Tan, Co-Founder, FundYourselfNow and Blockchain Writer
Alex Haxton, Cryptocurrency Advocate and Blockchain Consultant
Peter Sin, Co-Founder, Singapore Bitcoin Club
Caleb Yap, Co-Founder, Singapore Bitcoin Club
Brian Condenanza, Internet Entrepreneur, ICO Advisor, Blockchain, Crypto and Bitcoin Enthusiast
Gautam Seshadri, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Tech Advisors

Viola.AI is a dating and relationship A.I. that generates dating and relationship content for every user based on their relationship stage.

by Gerelyn Terzo
See full article at Invezz

Jan 17, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blockchain Dating App Viola.ai Is Targeting $17M In The ICO

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.

See full article at Internet Dating Newswire

Dec 28, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually Launches First AI & Blockchain-Based Dating Project - Viola.AI

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.

by Andrea Saadan
See full article at Asia One

Nov 27, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

How Violet Lim Started Lunch Actually

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.

See full article at The Middle Ground

Jun 14, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Q&A With Lunch Actually's Chief Matchmaker Violet Lim

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 Internet Dating Newswire

May 24, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually Acquires Setipe, Indonesia's Biggest Online Dating Service

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.

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

See the full press release

May 08, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually And Diverse Co. Launch Premium Dating Service "Tailor" In Japan

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.

See the full press release

Mar 27, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

LunchClick Changes The Way Singles Communicate

PRESS RELEASE - Mar 20 - Asia's dating app for serious daters LunchClick recently introduced a new communication feature. Singles can now create their own personalized questions and send to their matches without the social awkwardness of being too straight-forward. LunchClick, a dating app developed by the team behind Lunch Actually Group, entirely removes the use of chatting in its platform because chatting rarely leads to real dates. In previous version, singles could communicate with each other from the limited list of pre-set Q&As on LunchClick. Now ~500 customized Q&As has been created.

See all posts on LunchClick

by Yon Heong Tun
See full article at E27

Mar 20, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually Raised 7-digit From A Japanese Social Network

E27 - Sep 6 - Lunch Actually, the Singapore-based premium dating platform, will use the new capital to ramp up presence in existing markets - Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia as well as expand to one new market. The investors are: Sat.1 mixi, Japanese social media network and publisher of mobile game Monster Strikea and Fatfish, a VP and development firm.

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

by Kirsten Han
See full article at Sea Globe

Sep 07, 2016 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fierce Competition Between Dating Apps In Asia

SEA GLOBE - Feb 24 - Southeast Asian users have caught on to the mobile dating trend, with local dating apps – such as Thailand-based Noonswoon, Peekawoo in the Philippines, Indonesia's Wavoo and Singapore's LunchClick. Paktor is one of Asian's biggest dating apps, boasting 6M users in six key Asian markets. Competition is fierce. Paktor is the only dating app out of 13 that entered the Southeast Asian market at the same time that is still standing. Capturing market share in Southeast Asia involves understanding the social norms of each country. While most of Paktor's advertising in Singapore appears online, regional marketing director Shn Juay says the company adopted a different tack in Indonesia. "We go into university campuses and identify people who could be influencers. We let them try the app, and then share it through word of mouth."

See all posts on Paktor

by Terence Lee
See full article at TechInAsia

Feb 24, 2016 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dating App LunchClick Killed In-App Chat

TECHINASIA - Nov 7 - LunchClick is a new dating app from a Singapore-based dating agency, Lunch Actually. It takes a few hours for users to go from downloading the app to using it. Every profile is exhaustively verified by humans to keep out creeps, fakers, and scammers. Users can't engage in small talk via in-app chat. There's no endless swiping either, as they only get one match a day. Instead of chat, LunchClick devised a Q&A-style interaction where matches take turns asking questions chosen from a predefined list. The app charges entry fees for singles meetup events, and will soon make money from restaurant booking fees, in-app purchases, and gifts.

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Nov 09, 2015 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually Acquires Thailand's #1 Matchmaking Company

PRESS RELEASE - Oct 1 - Lunch Actually, Singapore based high-end matchmaking company, has acquired MeetNLunch, the number one matchmaking service for busy professionals in Thailand. This acquisition comes after Lunch Actually Group's recent launch of its dating app, LunchClick, in April 2015, as well as its expansion into Jakarta in October 2014. To date, LunchActually has ~400K members. Last year their revenue grew ~50% and hit a new revenue milestone of $5M. MeetNLunch has been connecting singles in Thailand since 2006.

by Terence Lee
See full article at Tech in Asia

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

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Oct 01, 2015 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually Buys LOLA Dating App

TECH IN ASIA - Oct 16 - Mobile dating app Love Out Loud Asia (LOLA) received seed funding from FatFish Medialab, made 350K matches, and paired over 10Ksingles across Southeast Asia. This acquisition arms Lunch Actually for the first time with a mobile-oriented service. The LOLA team will launch a new version of app in early 2015 for both iOS and Android.

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

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Oct 16, 2014 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lunch Actually Plays Cupid To Wealthy Singles

THE STRAITS TIMES - July 25 - Lunch Actually, the high-end matchmaking service, is on the expansion path. It has built up annual revenue to S$1 million ($793K) in eight years and head count to about 30. It recently launched Lunch Actually Platinum. The premium matchmaking service targets people earning more than $397K a year. Lunch Actually has also partnered with MeetnLunch.com, a matchmaking and online dating service in Thailand.

by Yunita Ong
The full article was originally published at The Jakarta Post, but is no longer available.