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

IDEA Summit Iceland

OPW - The Reykjavik, Iceland IDEA Summit (See event details & speakers) at Smitten HQ was last week. Here's a word from our esteemed host, CEO of Smitten, David Simonarson (bio).

The IDEA Summit held at Smitten's HQ in Reykjavik was an unforgettable gathering. As a host, I was inspired by the innovative ideas and passionate discussions among the leaders of the Internet dating industry. The spirit of collaboration and the shared vision for improving our apps and communities have left a lasting impression on me. I look forward to what the future holds for this remarkable group. Thank you to everyone who participated, and to Mark Brooks and the IDEA team for helping make this event a success. - David Simonarson, CEO, Smitten

Our next gathering is in partnership with the investment bank and analysis company Evercore ISI, in Manhattan on September 28th. This is by invite only for top-flight CEOs of dating companies. We're enabling them to meet each other to learn and share and also connect with analysts at investment companies: PE, hedge funds, etc.

Email [email protected] to apply to join IDEA (free) and to be added to LTR's invite list and be considered for the IDEA Summit IRL events.

IDEA leadership events are kindly sponsored and made possible by LiveBox by The Meet Group, and enabled and arranged by the dating business agency-consultancy Courtland Brooks.

David Simonarson - Dating Startup Stories (Smitten) - From Idea to Success

LTR - David is the CEO and co-founder of Smitten, a dating app that aims to provide a more enjoyable experience compared to typical swiping apps. He and his co-founder have been creating mobile consumer social networks for over a decade, but their previous dating app, The One, didn't meet users' expectations. After realizing that dating apps were considered boring and felt like work, they decided to create Smitten, a dating app focused on the journey of being single. Smitten stands out by allowing users to explore more than just looks and get to know potential matches through entertainment elements like mini-games. These games provide icebreakers for conversations, resulting in a higher conversion rate from matches to conversations. Smitten gained popularity in Iceland and raised funding to expand to other markets like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and London.

The May LTR was kindly sponsored by technology provider Livebox by The Meet Group, Courtland Brooks and Matchmaker.com

See the top news on Smitten

Overnight Success Takes 10+ Years

LINKEDIN - Asgeir Visir, Co-Founder & CPO at Smitten, reflects on his ten-year journey with his co-founder David Simonarson to build social consumer apps. They have tried and failed many times, including unsuccessful attempts at various products, marketing tests, and investors. They have also moved cities and pitched to VCs, including Sequoia Capital, without success. Despite these challenges, they have persisted and have finally achieved success with their latest product, Smitten. They have raised ~$13M in venture funding, reached $1.5M in annual recurring revenue, and have 600K+ downloads in five markets.

See full post at LinkedIn

See the top news on Smitten

Dating App Smitten Raises $10M in Series A Funding

VENTUREBEAT - Smitten, a dating app for Generation Z and Centennials, has raised $10M in Series A funding. Among the investors are Makers Fund, Possible Ventures, Wonder Invest, and more. This new round of funding will help the company expand into new territories and grow its user base. As the app shows users different profiles, they have the options to play games to get to know the person.

by Jason McMaster
See full article at VentureBeat

See the top news on Smitten

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Iceland's Dating App, Smitten, Raised $2.7M

SIFTED.EU - June 18 - Smitten, a dating app from Iceland, has raised $2.7M to expand in Europe, and to woo Gen Zers (people born between 1997 and 2015) with a dating app that mixes gaming, entertainment and flirting. Most Smitten users are 25 or younger, and roughly 20% are 18 years old. The company says it will use the investment to launch in the Nordics in late August or early September. Smitten's round was led by early-stage firm byFounders, with participation from PROfounders, Inventures, Brunnur Ventures, Tiny.vc and several angel investors. As part of the round, wine app Vivino founder Heini Zachariassen and PROfounders's Joe Bond will join the board.

See full article at Sifted.eu

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com