WSJ – Dec 7 – Jiayuan.com International, the largest online dating platform in China, agreed to be bought by Baihe for $7.56 per share in a deal that values the company at ~$250M. The deal is expected to close in Q1 of 2016. Jiayuan executive Linguang Wu will become co-executive of the new company, which will be changing its name.
by Austen Hufford
See full article at WSJ
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
WEBWIRE – Dec 7 – The last day to vote for the next iDate Awards is January 2nd. The awards ceremony is taking place in Miami, on January 26, 2016. The awards are organized by the Internet Dating Conference (iDate) and Online Personals Watch.
THE GUARDIAN – Dec 5 – People post their pictures and information, rate users, and answer Disney-related questions, as well as share their favourite Disney moments. The site works on a freemium model. It's free to sign up, but $12.55/month to send private messages.
DAILYLIFE – Dec 2 – "Do you want kids?" conversation is tricky in real life. Most women don't disclose their preferences regarding children right away. But since the "Do you want kids?" conversation could end a relationship, it is important to have that information sooner than later. Dating sites let people discover a potential mate's future plans without that awkward conversation that often feels premature.
by Suzannah Weiss
See full article at DailyLife
TECH CRUNCH – Dec 2 – Greg Tseng is stepping down from the CEO role after 11 years running its dating social network Tagged and game studio hi5. He'll remain a board member. The company's new CEO will be its COO Dash Gopinath, who was formerly the Chief Product Officer of Tagged competitor Badoo. Tagged still have a team of ~100 people and 2015 will be its 8th consecutive profitable year. The company raised $12M.
by Josh Constine
See full article at Tech Crunch
WFAA.COM – Dec 1 – The size matters when it comes to credit score, according to a study titled Credit Scores and Committed Relationships. "We find debt is one of those deal-breakers; almost as strong as smoking and kids," said Sam Yagan, CEO of Match.com. The study also finds people are more likely to stay with someone if their score is close to their partner's at the outset.
WWD.COM – Dec 2 – PR Consulting, a PR company that specializes in brand imaging and public relations development for the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries, will be representing Grindr. The relationship could appear off-brand, but according to PR Consulting's cofounders, Grindr offers an opportunity for fashion brands to reach a vast number of people.
KHOU 11 NEWS – Dec 1 – MateSafe.com allows people to register their STD test results directly from a clinic. The data is kept private and encrypted. Users need a pin code to see someone's results. Right now, MateSafe is a mobile-ready web site with an app coming in January.
by Alice Barr
The full article was originally published at Khou 11 News, but is no longer available.
ROYMORGAN – Dec 2 – ~5M Australians 14+ identify as single. Of them, ~263K (5.1%) used 'dating' app Tinder. 8.8% of single 18-24 used Tinder in the last month. Outside these age groups, Tinder usage is minimal: 1.5% of singles aged 35+ and 1.6% of those 14-17 reported using the app in the last four weeks.
