Month: May 2017

This App Matches People With Their Ideal ‘Face Type’

Posted on May 8, 2017

Facedate screenshotsBROADLY – May 8 – FaceDate, a new app developed by New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) scientists aims to match users by analyzing the faces of their favorite celebrities. Though Facedate was initially a research project, the researchers have applied for a patent and there is talk of approaching venture capitalists to invest in further development.

by Sophie Wilkinson   
See full article at Broadly

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Marketing Companies That Currently Serve The Dating Industry

Posted on May 8, 2017

Grow.co logoOPW – May 8 – I was at Grow.co's Mobile Apps Unlocked event last week in Vegas. About a 1000 people were there. I identified 51 companies that are currently actively working with the dating industry. Here's 20 of them. Or go to the Courtland Brooks blog for the full list.

  • Ad Action
  • Adperio
  • App Boy
  • App Annie
  • App Next
  • Appnique
  • Apps Flyer
  • Apptentive
  • Branch.io
  • Fluent
  • Glispa
  • Inmobi
  • Iterable
  • Jampp
  • Leanplum
  • Mparticle
  • Mpire Network
  • Segment
  • Vungle
  • YellowHEAD

Post by Mark Brooks @ Courtland Brooks

Dating App Dil Mil Is Using AI To Help South Asians Find Love

Posted on May 5, 2017

Dil mil iconFORBES – May 4 – Dil Mil dating app aims to combine traditional South Asian values with modern technology. It uses AI and predictive analytics. Founded in 2014, Dil Mil offers a middle ground for South Asians who aren't looking for either hookups or arranged marriages. Traditionally, "aunties," either familial or friends of the family, played the role of matchmaker in South Asian countries. But with Dil Mil, the matchmaking process is taking place on the app – kind of like a "virtual" auntie. Dhaliwal and Toor worked together to build the app and website. The duo have raised ~$4M in pre-Series A funding and have been backed by celebrity investors such as 500 Startups, Will Bunker of Match.com and Scott Banister of PayPal.

by Joe Escobedo
See full article at Forbes

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Pimps Are Recruiting Women Through Dating Sites

Posted on May 5, 2017

WJLA – May 4 – Crackdowns on sites like Craigslist and Backpage are pushing pimps into less targeted spheres, like apps and dating sites. A recent study in the peer-reviewed journal “Victims and Offenders,” reports “some pimps utilize dating websites as opportunities to recruit potential customers and/or sex workers.

by Lisa Fletcher
See full article at ABC6

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Tinder CEO Says Usage Fell After Trump’s Election

Posted on May 5, 2017

Tinder search on mobilePEOPLE.COM – May 3 – Apparently the results of the presidential election did not put most U.S. Tinder users in the mood for love. Match Group Chairman and CEO Greg Blatt, said during an earnings call Wednesday that Tinder saw a drop in activity beginning in November and lasting through February, an apparent anomaly during what is typically a busy period for the dating site. "The post election was weird," Blatt said. Although a majority of the app's users preferred Hillary Clinton, a sizable minority were fans of Trump. According to the results of a "swipe the vote" poll released shortly before the election, 53% of Tinder users planned to vote for Clinton, versus 47% for Trump.

by Kathy Ehrich Dowd
See full article at People.com

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Tinder Orders Researcher To Remove Dataset Of 40k Profile Pictures

Posted on May 5, 2017

Tinder logo jan 17NAKED SECURITY – May 5 – Tinder told a developer to remove a dataset of 40k of its users' images that he had published in six downloadable zip files and released under a CC0: Public Domain License. The dataset was called People of Tinder. The developer, Stuart Colianni, was using the images to train artificial intelligence. Tinder's API is notoriously vulnerable to being exploited. Not only has it been used to promote a movie, it's also been abused to expose users’ locations and to auto-like all female profiles.

by Lisa Vaas
See full article at Naked Security

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Matrimony.com Posts Rs. 300 Crore In Revenues For FY2017

Posted on May 4, 2017

Matrimony logo on the wallIBTIMES – May 3 – Matrimony.com, which owns BharatMatrimony and few other matchmaking portals, reported Rs. 300 crore ($47M) in revenue for FY2017 (Fiscal Year in India begins on April 1st and ends on March 31st). The Chennai-based company is planning to IPO in September. Matrimony.com had to shelve its IPO plans last year due to "weak market conditions".

by SV Krishnamachari
See full article at IBTimes

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Gleeden, The French Version Of Ashley Madison, To Enter India

Posted on May 4, 2017

Gleeden app screenshotDESIBLITZ – May 3 – Gleeden, the French dating app for married people, has made its way to India. The app began as a group of French women decided they wanted to escape their monogamous marriages for a while. As a result, they created Gleeden for similar-minded married people.

by Sarah-Louise Kearney
See full article at Desiblitz

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Ashley Madison: Life After The Hack

Posted on May 4, 2017

Ashleymadison screenshot new july 16CNN – May 3 – Christi Gibson is a widow who lost her husband John not long after Ashley Madison's hackers released the names of 36M people. Her husband's name was on the list, which she learned the day she walked in and found him dead. Gibson and her two children represent the human impact of one of the most personal hacks in history. Nearly two years after their world was destroyed by the Ashley Madison hackers, Christi and her children say they've kept their vow of no more secrets. Despite the hack, Ashley Madison is still growing. They grew from 39M users in August 2015 to 50M users in January 2017, according to a company spokesperson.

edited by Aimee Rawlins
See full article at CNN

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Spark Networks Q1 – Revenue Down 26%, Net Loss Improved

Posted on May 3, 2017

Sparknetworks screenshotACCESSWIRE – May 2 – Spark Networks entered into a definitive agreement with Affinitas GmbH ("EliteSingles"), to combine in a stock-for-stock merger. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2017. Spark Networks, will not conduct a first quarter results conference call; however, Spark and EliteSingles will host a joint conference call at 7:30 AM PST on May 3, 2017, to discuss the transaction. Q1 revenue was $7.3M, a YOY decrease of 26% driven by a decrease in average paying subscribers, reflecting reduced direct marketing investment in the Jewish and Christian Networks. Total direct marketing expenses decreased 72% to $1.4M. Net Loss was $2.1M in the quarter, a $1.3M improvement versus the year ago period and a $1.6M improvement from the prior quarter.

See full article at Spark Networks website

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team