OPW – Dec 29 – Mark Brooks will be interviewing Michael Egan, CEO of Spark Networks at Internet Dating Conference (iDate), taking place in January 25-27, 2016 in Miami. Check out the agenda. It is coming along very nicely. Kelly Steckelberg, CEO of Zoosk, will speak on “Opportunities in the Online Dating Industry”; and Takuya Iwamoto from Diverse will speak about the Japanese mobile & online dating market.
Month: December 2015
Jiayuan.com Shareholders Approved Merger With Baihe Subsidiaries
PR NEWSWIRE – Dec 28 – Jiayuan.com shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger with LoveWorld and FutureWorld. Of the 56.7% of ordinary shares voted, 97.5% backed the deal, expected to close in Q1.
See full article at PR Newswire
“Double” Dating App Raised More Funds From Michael Birch
SCOTSMAN – Dec 28 – The trio behind Double secured a £75K investment from Moonpig entrepreneur Nick Jenkins on the BBC show and have now joined the Entrepreneurial Spark (ESpark) accelerator programme. They will be moving into ESpark's Edinburgh "hatchery". Along with Jenkins, the team has also secured investment from Michael Birch, founder of social network Bebo.
by Gareth Mackie
See full article at Scotsman
This post also appear on InternetDatingInvestments.
A Major Shareholder At Spark Networks Is Buying Shares
ANALYSTRATINGS – Dec 28 – A major shareholder at Spark Networks, Lloyd I. Miller, bought shares of LOV for $820.6K. Lloyd I. Miller increased his holding by 8.04%. Over the last month, Lloyd I. Miller has reported 6 Buy trades on LOV for a total of $162.5K.
by George Macdonald
See full article at AnalystRatings
See all posts on Spark Networks
This post also appear on InternetDatingInvestments.
Ashley Madison Says It Added 4M Members Since The Hack
CNN – Dec 28 – At the time of the hack, Ashley Madison said it had 39M members. The website now says it has ~43M members, according to a rolling count on its homepage. That number is not easily confirmed. Parent company, Avid Life, is faced with a dozen class-action lawsuits related to the hack by customers who claim the site failed to protect their identities. Fending off the lawsuits will be expensive, even for a company that recorded $115M in sales and a $55M profit last year. Several of the lawsuits are asking for more than half a billion dollars in damages.
by David Goldman
See full article at CNN Money
Marketdata Enterprises To Speak At iDate On January 25-27, 2016
WEBWIRE – Dec 28 – John LaRosa, President at Marketdata Enterprises, will discuss the current state of the offline matchmaking business. In addition to online dating and mobile dating executives that attend iDate, matchmakers represent 15% of the attendance. The iDate is on January 25-27, 2016 at the Kovens Conference Center in Miami.
“Double” Dating App Co-founders Said Yes To £75K For 15% Of Their Company
BBC – Dec 27 – Gary McDonagh, Loren Gould and Ben Greenock, co-founders of dating app Double, dressed in heart printed suits to pitch their group dating idea to investors in today's Dragon's Den episode. The location based dating app allows two friends to search for other pairs to arrange a double date. The trio was looking for £75K investment in return for a 10% stake in the business. They accepted £75K for a 15% stake in the business from Nick Jenkins. Congrats!
by Emma Powell
See full article at Evening Standard
This post also appear on InternetDatingInvestments.
French Dating Site Toutafaitmoi.net Highlights Defects
01AMOUR – Dec 27 – Toutafaitmoi (AbsolutelyMe) works just like any other dating site except users have to disclose three of their worst qualities in their profiles. The site is still in Beta and is expected to launch mobile app in March.
The Apprentice Final: Alan Sugar’s Experts On Why He Was Right To Dump DatePlay
REALBUSINESS.CO.UK – The final episode of The Apprentice 2015, series in which candidates compete to go into business with multi-millionaire Lord Sugar, aired on Dec 20th. Alan Sugar appointed eHarmony MD UK Romain Bertrand, Match.com MD UK Karl Gregory and Venntro Media CEO Ross Williams as his online dating advisors. Vana Koutsomitis, founder of dating app DatePlay, competed against plumbing business owners Joseph Valente. She lost. Ross Williams supported Sugar’s choice. Here is why: £250K is barely enough to develop and refine an online dating app in such a competitive market. The DatePlay concept is excellent but as an investment DatePlay was too high risk compared to Joseph’s plumbing business. Romain Bertrand thinks it’s possible to launch a first version of the app and operate it without heavy marketing for under £250K. But you continuously need to invest in making your product the best it can be.
by Ross Williams & Romain Bertrand
See full article at RealBusiness.co.uk