STANDARD.CO.UK – May 16 – Justin McLeod founded Hinge after graduating from Harvard in 2011 and rebranded it three years ago, after a 14-year love story culminated in him winning back his now-wife, Kate. Hinge has since become the UK's fastest growing dating app. Now, a date is arranged between users every four seconds. For him, it's all about data. Users are invited to like parts of others' profiles, rather than the profile as a whole, which allows Hinge to "zero in" on their tastes. Instead of lining up 1K potential matches to "mindlessly" swipe through, it is "thoughtful" about who is shown to whom. A feature called Most Compatible uses a combination of AI and a Noble Prize-winning algorithm called Gale-Shapley (aka the "stable marriage algorithm") to send users daily match suggestions. The idea isn't that you're shown "the person you most want in the world" but "someone you like who's also going to like you back", McLeod explains. "A "We Met" feature follows up after the initial match to see if users went on a date and if so, how it went. So far, results have proven the new algorithm is eight times more likely to lead to a date than other apps," he says.
Month: May 2019
Toffee, Tinder for Snobs, Launches in Australia
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – May 16 – Toffee is a dating app aimed at privately educated singles. The app has already launched in the UK, and launches today in Australia. Founder Lydia Davis said the aim of her app is to connect people with 'similar backgrounds'. The app claims 30K active monthly users.
‘Twitter’ Tax Break in San Francisco Ends
BLOOMBERG TAX – May 16 – San Francisco's eight-year-old tax break to encourage tech companies to locate in the city – a.k.a the "Twitter tax break" – is ending on May 20th. The tax break saved businesses $70M since San Francisco enacted it. The climate for tax giveways has changed dramatically, with emerging tech companies blamed for everything from rising housing prices to clogged city arteries. Over the last month the average San Francisco home price was $1.4M, up 1.7% from last year. That's nearly double the $665K median sales price in the Q1 of 2012. Online dating company Zoosk took advantage of the break in exchange for providing internships, $10K to a neighborhood nonprofit, and tutoring, in addition to patronizing local restaurants and bars, its agreement said.
Blued Launches Blued Queer Flicks
THE SIASAT DAILY – May 15 – Blued, a gay dating app, has launched their first ever queer film making contest called Blued Queer Flicks. The contest will be followed by a screening scheduled to be taken place on June 8, 2019, in Delhi. ~60 entries have been received since the contest was launched in April. Out of the total received entries, there are 10 selected contestants whose short movies will be shown at the fest and the winners will be awarded the cash prizes and awards. The movies are based on queer themes, struggles, love, fun, education and social perception.
Ontario Judge Rules Against Xtreme Labs co-founders in Tinder-focused Lawsuit
BETAKIT – May 15 – Former Extreme Venture Partners (EVP) founding partners Sundeep Madra and Amar Varma, as well as Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya, have been ordered to pay $15.6M to plaintiffs in an Ontario Superior Court ruling that found the three had conspired to acquire mobile software development shop Xtreme Labs at a discounted price, in addition to breached contractual obligations with EVP. The lawsuit began in 2014 when Sharma, Bashir, and Teslia filed a claim of ~$200M in damages against Madra and Varma, alleging that the pair had conspired with Palihapitiya, also a former Facebook VP, to hide an interest in dating app Tinder as part of a sale of shares in dev studio Xtreme Labs. The plaintiffs alleged that the two partners "misrepresented the financial status of Xtreme Labs," including the equity interest they maintained in Hatch Labs and the existence of Tinder. They argued that this misrepresentation led the trio to sell their shares in Xtreme at a discounted price.
Google Is Overhauling Its Store Rating System
TECH RADAR – May 15 – Speaking at the Google IO 2019 developer conference this week, the Google Play team revealed that the most recent, and theoretically more relevant, app reviews will be given greater weight when considering ratings. The change follows similar moves made by Apple two years ago, when it introduced a feature that optionally allows developers to reset an app or game's rating when a new update is released. The new ratings system changes will come into effect for users starting in August, however developers can already preview the recalculated ratings of their apps by logging into their accounts.
This Is Why Michelle Battersby Quit Her Job to Join Bumble
Q: What was it about Bumble that spoke to you initially?
A: I had an immediate connection with Whitney and was so aligned with her vision for the Bumble brand. I had a strong gut-feeling that Bumble was going to be big and I needed to be a part of it.
Q: In your role, what does a normal day look like?
A: I'm thrown into new experiences all the time. A constant part of my job is forming Bumble's business strategy, both in Australia but also in Asia Pacific.
Q: What are your resources for keeping up to date with the industry?
A: It's so important to be across news, culture and the latest trends in business and technology. I'm consistently on social media for work, but the best resources are our users and the brands we work with.
Q: What do you do when you're feeling uninspired?
A: I'll often reach out to my sisters or friends. I also think you just need to take a break, change up your surroundings and get other people involved. I'll call a meeting if I'm stuck on something, move everyone out of the office and go somewhere else to work on the task.
Q: What's the most difficult part of your job?
A: Knowing when and how to switch off. Separating personal and business opinions is something I am consistently working on.
Q: When it comes to networking professionally, what are your three top pieces of advice?
A: My number one tip is to trust your instincts. My second tip: I overcame my lack of professional confidence by finding a mentor with a wealth of experience. My third tip is to never be afraid to put yourself forward and speak up.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a woman in a position of leadership in 2019?
A: That I have a responsibility to inspire positive change.
Q: What's something about the tech industry right now that has you excited?
A: I'm excited at the idea that we all need more time away from tech.
Match Rolled Out Coaching Service – AskMatch
Royal Malaysia Police Issues Safety Guidelines on Facebook Dating
THE STAR – May 14 – Royal Malaysia Police has listed guidelines on how to stay safe while navigating Facebook Dating. The guidelines include common sense (but worth repeating) steps as refraining from disclosing one's personal information. Users were also encouraged to do a background check on anyone they planned to meet with in real life before actually doing so. Malaysia is one of 14 countries where Facebook Dating is available.
by Angelin Yeoh
See full article at The Star
Beijing Kunlun Tech Must Sell Grindr by 2020 Over US National Security Fears
BLOOMBERG – May 14 – Beijing Kunlun Tech, The Chinese owner of Grindr, is required to sell the app by June 2020 under an agreement with US officials who raised national security concerns about the app's ownership. Under the agreement, Beijing Kunlun Tech can't access information about Grindr's users and transmit any sensitive information to any entities based in China.