Month: April 2018

Berkeley International – The Billionaire Matchmaking

Posted on April 11, 2018

Berkeleyinternational logo sep 16BUSINESS INSIDER – Apr 10 – Berkeley's pricing starts from £15k ($21k) and goes up to £60k ($85k) for private headhunting, with a year of unlimited introductions. For highly tailored packages they can charge up to £100k. Berkeley International is headquartered in London's prestigious Berkeley Square in Mayfair, and operates in 13 locations across Europe – from Copenhagen to Cannes – as well as New York and Melbourne. The business is booming thanks to a combination of digital dating fatigue and global uncertainty – a trend she calls the "lipstick effect." "When times are tough people spend more on themselves and the same applies to dating and introductions," said Mairead Molloy, the global director of matchmaking at Berkeley International.

by Rosie Fitzmaurice
See full article at Business Insider

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UK-based Digital Identity App Yoti To Work With Indian Dating App Truly Madly

Posted on April 10, 2018

Yoti logoBUSINESS TODAY – Apr 9 – TrulyMadly users will now be able to use Yoti to verify their personal details, such as name and age, which will boost the Trust Score on their profile, giving other daters assurance that the profile is genuine. This is Yoti's first partnership in India after launching its services in the country earlier this month. The app, which has usage for end-users as well as companies, has been downloaded ~500k times so far on Play Store. The company had raised 8M pounds of funding in November and is valued at 65M pounds. The company is targeting India, US and UK markets initially and is looking at sectors of banking and financial services, dating, insurance, peer to peer commerce, for more partnerships.

by Devika Singh
See full article at Business Today

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The Meet Group’s Update On Livestreaming Video Progress

Posted on April 10, 2018

Themetgroup logoBUSINESSWIRE – Apr 9 – "We see momentum in video building," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "We have begun the rollout of Tagged livestreaming on our shared video platform, and we expect to launch enhanced video monetization on Tagged next month. Additionally, we are ahead of schedule with our plans to bring live video to Lovoo, and we now expect to begin rolling out the feature in a phased approach starting in May." The number of monetizing users continues to increase on MeetMe and Skout. The number of paid gifters increased 36% in March over February. Gifters buy virtual gifts for livestreamers.

See full article at The Meet Group website

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Toffee: New Dating App For Privately Educated People

Posted on April 10, 2018

Toffee screenshotMIRROR.CO.UK – Apr 8 – Toffee is not the first app with a degree of exclusivity (there is The League and The Inner Circle), but it's the first that's totally restricted to those who were not educated by the state. The waiting list was launched on March 23, and the app will go live as soon as the app gets enough founder members.

by Joshua Barrie
See full article at Mirror.co.uk

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eHarmony Is Investing In Machine Learning To Make Smarter Matches

Posted on April 10, 2018

Eharmony logo 2017WHICH-50 – Apr 9 – eHarmony is using machine learning and data science to figure out its users' preferences to make more successful matches. eHarmony uses two techniques to match singles. The initial match is based on compatibility. This measure is determined by the extensive questionnaire. eHarmony then uses machine learning, which it calls affinity matching, to learn about behaviour on the site as an indicator of what users like. The site currently runs 20 different affinity models.

by Tess Bennett
See full article at Which-50

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Badoo’s New Feature Matches Friends Of Friends

Posted on April 7, 2018

Badoo logo 2018REFINERY 29 – Apr 5 – The new 'Friends of Friends' tool allows users to easily discover and scroll through their Facebook friends' Badoo profiles, as well as (crucially) their friends' Badoo profiles. If they match with a friend of a friend, they can then chat to or video call them directly. For some people, the idea of being easily discoverable to their Facebook connections on a dating app may be a step too far. The tool does, however, have the potential to make others feel more secure.

by Natalie Gil
See full article at Refinery 29

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Indian Dating App Woo Allows Female Users To Call Their Matches

Posted on April 6, 2018

Woo phoneBWDISRUPT – Apr 6 – Woo Phone, Woo's new feature enables women to call their matched profiles from within the app without revealing their phone numbers. The feature is available for free.

See full article at BWDisrupt

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Grindr Says Its Role Is Like A Public Forum

Posted on April 6, 2018

Grindr icon on mobileBLOOMBERG – Apr 5 – Gay dating app Grindr sent sensitive user data including HIV status, location and email to at least two third-party services. Grindr said the data sharing is "standard" in the industry and pointed out the company considers its app a "public forum." Grindr also suggested that if users didn't want their data being shared with these companies, they shouldn't have volunteered it. "It's important to remember that Grindr is a public forum," CTO Chen said in the statement.

by Ellen Huet
See full article at Bloomberg

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Singles Are Paying £10k To Find Matches To Have A Baby

Posted on April 6, 2018

Baby-pregnancy-bumpHEART.CO.UK – Apr 5 – An exclusive agency, called The Stork, is helping to match singles with those looking to have a baby as there is now a growing number of young professionals who are yet to start a family. Founder Fiona, set the agency up in 2014, after noticing there was a gap in the market. The joining fee is £10K. Users go through a rigorous application process, which involves DNA tests, and a critical assessment of their finances from company turnovers, incomes, debts and checking property deeds. Fiona says: "It's important that both partners are in a good position to support any child they may have."

See full article at The Stork

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“Professional Tinder Coaches” Can Make Up To £30 An Hour

Posted on April 6, 2018

Bidvine tinder coachINDEPENDENT.CO.UK – Apr 6 – Being successful at dating apps requires a certain art – profile picture, bio, opening line – those who struggle are willing to pay to be coached. Advertised on bidding site Bidvine, it turns out there is now an opportunity to be a Tinder, Bumble, or Grindr coach, and earn up to £30 an hour. To be considered for the position, applicants must be able to show 250 matches in the last 12 months as well as screenshots proving they've been on at least 10 dates. Once approved, coaches can then set up a profile on the site where clients can contact them.

by Chelsea Ritschel
See full article at Indpendent.co.uk

Summarized by the IDEA team