BUSINESS INSIDER - Tina Wilson, founder of Wingman, developed the app to involve friends in the dating process. Despite skepticism from industry insiders, Wilson believes Gen Z values the "karmic reward" of helping others find connections. Wingman's voice note feature allows friends to share insights, adding authenticity and encouraging better dating etiquette. The app aims to provide a fun alternative to mainstream dating platforms, which many users find have become too focused on profit and surface-level interactions.
221 posts categorized "Outlets - Business Insider"
Wingman Dating App Engages Friends to Combat Gen Z Dating App Burnout
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How Two Friends Quit Healthcare to Build Fourplay, a 60,000-User Dating App
BUSINESS INSIDER - Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek, former healthcare professionals, founded the dating app Fourplay in 2019 with no prior tech experience. They left their jobs in 2022 to run the startup full-time. Fourplay, which facilitates double dates, faced early challenges, including COVID-19 and technical issues, but the founders overcame them by hiring in-house developers. The app gained traction through user-generated content, particularly a viral TikTok video, and now boasts 60K users. They credit their success to learning from mistakes, leveraging their network, and adapting to the tech space despite their initial inexperience.
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New Dating Startups Offer Fresh Alternatives to Traditional Apps
BUSINESS INSIDER - New dating startups are shaking up the industry, responding to user fatigue with traditional apps like Tinder and Hinge. Notable startups include Pique, which offers daily matches without swiping, and Fourplay, which focuses on double dating. Friend of a Friend emphasizes mutual connections, while Boo uses personality-driven profiles. FFWD offers video profiles for genuine interactions, and Sitch and Amori incorporate AI-powered matchmaking and coaching. These apps aim to create more meaningful and real-life interactions for users.
by Sydney Bradley & Dan Latu
See full article at Business Insider
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Review of AI-Powered Dating App Rizz
BUSINESS INSIDER - Rizz is an AI-powered dating app designed to generate pickup lines, responses and decode screenshots of conversations to help users build rapport and meet in person. It offers a free trial and subscriptions for $7 per week or $20 per month and currently has 7M downloads. The app focuses on moving users from texting to real-life meetings. Compared to other AI chatbots like Gemini and Character.Ai, Rizz is more tailored to dating but lacks the depth and personalization of more general AI platforms. For $20 a month, users might expect more comprehensive dating coach services.
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Dateability: a Dating App for the Disabled and Chronically Ill Community
BUSINESS INSIDER - After facing rejection and discrimination on traditional dating apps due to her invisible disabilities, Jacqueline Child and her sister Alexa co-founded Dateability, a free dating app for the disabled and chronically ill community. Launched in 2021, the app claims ~11K users and aims to remove the pressure and stigma around disclosing disabilities by allowing users to share their conditions openly and neutrally.
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Seeking Depth in Digital Dating: the Rise of 'Date-Me Docs'
BUSINESS INSIDER - Some singles are swapping dating apps for "date-me docs," lengthy, detailed online profiles offering a deeper view into personal lives for potential matches. This trend, notable among the tech community, aims for more substantive connections than typical brief dating app bios. Users of date-me docs appreciate the format's freedom and depth, allowing for more expressive, nuanced portrayals of themselves. However, the approach remains niche, with challenges like a small user base and lack of standardization. The Date Me Directory, which 29-year-old Krouse started in 2022, now contains ~300 such documents from people around the world. They range from simple Google Docs to PowerPoint-style presentations to interactive web pages. They often include information about someone's age, profession, interests, values, and sexual orientation - as well as details about what they're looking for in a partner.
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Elon Musk Said He Wants X to Be a Dating App, Too
BUSINESS INSIDER - On the anniversary of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, he suggested in a company-wide video meeting that the platform, referred to as 'X', could evolve into a dating service by 2024. This idea aligns with Musk's broader vision of making 'X' an "everything app" similar to WeChat, encompassing features that require payment. Musk also sees 'X' functioning as a digital bank by next year. However, employees and insiders remain skeptical, with questions about the platform's financial health and future direction going unanswered.
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Meta's AI Dating Coach Avoids Explicit Content, Focuses on Healthy Communication
BUSINESS INSIDER - Meta's new AI dating assistant, Carter, limits its discussions on sexual topics and provides feedback that may be perceived as judgmental regarding certain sexual activities. Despite its constraints, it focuses on promoting healthy communication in relationships. This launch reflects the growing trend in the dating app industry to integrate AI features, with companies like Match Group also exploring AI functionalities to enhance user experience and compatibility matching.
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Hinge Is Hiring a VP of AI
BUSINESS INSIDER - Hinge is hiring a VP of artificial intelligence (AI) to lead its transition to an "AI-First company." The role, based in New York, offers a salary between $332K to $398K annually and requires an advanced degree in a related field plus tech leadership experience. This individual will work on developing AI features, ensuring ethical AI practices, and defining the company's AI goals. This move by Hinge aligns with the broader trend of incorporating AI into dating apps to enhance user experiences.
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Online Dating Stocks: Wall Street Bullish Despite Slump
BUSINESS INSIDER - Wall Street analysts predict a resurgence in online dating apps despite their poor stock performance since 2021. Match Group and Bumble have seen a significant decline in their stock value (Match Group has shed 75% of its value since hitting a record share price of $169.53, Bumble has tumbled 77% from its IPO of $75.46), but analysts remain optimistic due to strong growth prospects and the sustained popularity of online dating. Bank of America analyst Nat Schindler cited that these stocks are undervalued relative to their cash flow and foresees significant potential for growth. He also believes that online dating, being a primary means for new couples to meet, won't face a recession even if the economy does, as it meets a basic human need for connection. Sam Yagan, the co-founder of OkCupid and former CEO of Match, said that the years following the 2008 recession were actually OkCupid's best years. However, investors remain cautious, particularly due to concerns about the broader economic climate and the impact of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Meanwhile, dating apps are making strategic changes, such as short-term subscriptions and brand revamps, to attract users and prepare for economic challenges. Analysts suggest that investors are taking a "wait and see" approach.
by Jennifer Sor
See full article at Business Insider
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QuackQuack Survey: Divorcees Get a Second Shot at Love Online
BUSINESS INSIDER - Indian online dating app QuackQuack surveyed 14K men and women to discover that 12% of daters find true love in dating apps, after a failed relationship. 23% of single parents also found a second shot at love through online dating. According to QuackQuack's founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, "We currently have ~23M users, and ~12% of these people are divorcees and single parents, all taking a second shot at love. 22% of women above 30 from tier 1 cities mentioned being tired of their singlehood but find traditional dating tough. 13% of single parents prefer online over offline since it gives them a chance to mention their parental status before meeting anyone in person and avoid wasting time with people who are not interested in dating a person with a child.
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Gen Z Likes Dating Friends
INSIDER - More and more young Americans, particularly women, are finding romantic partners within their friend groups, challenging the traditional method of finding love with strangers. A survey by the Survey Center on American Life of people in a committed relationship found that 43% of people aged 18-29 were in a relationship with someone who was first a friend, and 50% of women in that age group were dating friends. This is double the older group. Only 21% of people over 65 who were in a committed relationship started relationships with friends. The shift towards friend-to-partner relationships challenges online dating culture and suggests young people are seeking a more meaningful connection without the anxiety that comes with meeting strangers. Many young people find online dating "too transactional" and "shallow."
by Daniel Cox
See full article at Insider
Mark Brooks: Does this mean social dating is the future? Most dating apps are focused on introducing strangers. Looks like there is a trend toward people seeking love from within their network of friends.
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Replika Is an AI Chatbot That Can Offer Romantic Companionship to Its Users
BUSINESS INSIDER - Replika is backed by Y Combinator, which was once run by OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman. OpenAI created ChatGPT. Insider spoke to a user who said he has real feelings for his companion. He paid for Replika's Pro subscription, which gets users a more intelligent language model and the option to do voice calls, augmented reality, and sexting.
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Dating App IRLY Raises $350K Pre-Seed Round
BUSINESS INSIDER - Investors include Chris Kaufman, the co-founder of the sneaker marketplace StockX, and Kevin Edwards, the CEO of the Canadian food-delivery service SkipTheDishes, along with several angel investors. The app, expected to launch early next year, aims to cater to Gen Z, with the possibility for users to video chat, play games, and send each other virtual gifts. The app has brought on the Internet star Cameron Dallas, who rose to fame in the early 2010s on the short-form video app Vine and now has ~25M Instagram followers. He previously co-founded a subscription platform called Fanfix. SuperOrdinary, a beauty accelerator, acquired Fanfix in July in an eight-figure deal.
by Marta Biino
See full article at Business Insider
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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