Month: April 2017
Team Communication Platform Slack Is Now Also A Dating App
The Meet Group To Ring The Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell Next Week
BUSINESS WIRE – Apr 26 – MeetMe has recently rebranded to The Meet Group. They will ring the Opening Bell at The Nasdaq Stock Market on May 3, 2017. "We are no longer MeetMe, running a single app, but a global portfolio of mobile meeting apps. We believe we have built a solid foundation for long-term growth and shareholder value creation," said CEO Geoff Cook.
See full article at BusinessWire
Say Allo Dating App Uses Machine Learning For Better Matches
New Dating App iReal Has No Room For Catfish And Scammers
PR NEWSWIRE – Apr 26 – Abbie Wu, the woman behind iReal, got the idea for the app when she almost ended up dating a woman. "I had swiped right to this tall, handsome guy and we chatted for weeks before I was told, 'Sorry Abbie, I was bored! You were fun but I am a woman," said Abbie Wu. iReal uses manual verification of users along with a few other in-app tools. A member can set a profile picture using only the in-app camera which detects the face. The user is given 7 seconds to snap a selfie. Only verified members can send and read messages.
Paktor Moves Into Live-streaming Via Merger Deal
TECH CRUNCH – Apr 26 – Dating app Paktor, 'The Tinder of Southeast Asia,' is moving into live-streaming and media content after it announced a merger deal with Taiwanese startup 17 Media. Paktor currently offers four dating apps – core service Paktor and acquired apps Down, Kickoff and Goodnight – while 17 Media's runs its 17 live-streaming app, photo social network Swag and video group chat service Lit. The new entity is expecting ~$100M in annual revenue and 50M users. The list of established companies moving into streaming is nearly endless. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Momo, and fast-growing Kuaishou among others.
by Jon Russell
See full article at Tech Crunch
Update: M17 has raised an undisclosed amount in investment from Korean VC firm KTB Network as part of a larger round, which is due to close in a few weeks.
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
Ashley Madison Users Are Being Blackmailed Again
by Kiarra Sylvester
See full article at Your Tango
Hinge Is Launching Online Magazine IRL
Russian Authorities Want Easy Access To Online Dating Logs
Tinder To Help Save The Last White Rhino
MASHABLE – Apr 25 – Tinder has partnered with the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya to introduce users to Sudan, the last known male northern white rhino in existence. Tinder hopes to save Sudan's species from extinction by raising $9M to fund in-vitro efforts in lieu of natural breeding to save the northern white rhino. When users swipe right on Sudan, they'll receive a message that features a link to donate, which would help fund ongoing research focusing on "assisted reproductive technologies."