UK BUSINESS INSIDER – July 22 – Vana Koutsomitis, a runner-up on TV show "The Apprentice," has already smashed her £120k crowdfunding target on Seedrs for dating app DatePlay. The one-month campaign went live on Tuesday and had received £150,020 in pledges from 110 investors by Friday. The company said it will stop accepting pledges once it reaches £300k.
by Sam Shead
See full article at Business Insider UK
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
HUFFINGTON POST – July 21 – Security providers Symantec have written on their blog about a reported rise in a particular type of scam that offers "a free verified service" but takes users credit card info instead and sign them up for an adult webcam site for $118/month.
OBSERVER – July 21 – LuvByrd, a dating platform for outdoor enthusiasts, previously only available in Colorado, is now available across the country. Founder Mike Keshian, a competitive skier and commercial fisherman, started LuvByrd because he couldn't find a partner that shared his love of the outdoors. LuByrd is now available in NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and the Pacific Northwest.
PARSHIP – July 21 – According to Parship's recent survey "Virtual Love", 51% of men believe they can find true love online compared to 38% of women. Parship surveyed 2k members in June and July.
SF CBS – July 20 – Complaints to the the Better Business Bureau range from Match.com refusing refunds to people who are unknowingly auto-renewed, to accounts being auto-renewed even after users cancel. Match has an "F" rating, but Match says it's not a member of the bureau, "so therefore we cannot respond to inquiries submitted through them." The Better Business Bureau says the company lost it's accreditation because it stopped responding to complaints.
FORBES – July 21 – As soon as Niantic's Pokémon GO app launched, some app developers quickly looked to monetize, while others strive to enhance the experience. Pokematch is an app that was built in three days by three entrepreneurs. It is literally Tinder but for Pokémon GO trainers.
by Jane Ninivaggi
See full article at GuestOfAGuest
THE MOTLEY FOOL – July 19 – Match Group's spin-off from IAC was unconventional. In this tech podcast, Motley Fool analysts Dylan Lewis and Sarah Priestley explain the context around IAC's spinoff of Match Group and why the move wasn't just a company tying its debt to a bad business and throwing it all away.