GDI – Mar 17 – The average online dating user has upwards of three apps on their phone at any point, and with hundreds of matches on each platform, it is harder than ever for them to keep on top of their love lives. That's where Relationship AI comes in. It stores users' online dating activity in one place and helps them make smarter decisions by tracking all of their interactions, rating their matches and letting them ask friends for advice. Founder Karinna Karsten created the product after she saw no such tool on the market. In this podcast Karinna discusses how Relationship AI was created, how it can help people at any stage of a relationship, and what the online dating industry will look like in the future.
Month: March 2020
Truth and Transparency Offered by RealMe
PR NEWSWIRE – Mar 17 – With over 50M people in the U.S. currently using online dating apps or sites, chances are they've swiped right on a fake or disingenuous profile. In a new FTI Consulting report supported by RealMe, researchers found online dating has given way to new forms of falsehood and deceit. The study calls this societal phenomenon "Generation L," or "Generation Liar," which refers to people who believe it is important to look their best online, even if it means distorting reality. RealMe is a turnkey, no-cost technology solution to protect dating app users. The company's tool, Check, is a platform integration that empowers online daters with trustworthy in-app identity scans and ~325M personal background profiles powered by MyLife. In addition, the company has teamed up with Spectrum Labs, a contextual AI platform that looks beyond keywords to identify larger patterns of toxic behavior.
Happn Creates Micro-dating Series at Samsung KX
CAMPAIGNLIVE.CO.UK – Mar 17 – Samsung and dating app Happn are creating a micro-dating destination at the tech brand's King's Cross store. The event series is a response to a Samsung study that found 40% of Brits restrict themselves to only dating their "type on paper", while 58% wait up to a month to physically meet their match and 42% say those dates "lack a spark". Guests will have their heart rate tracked with a Galaxy watch during three 15-minute dates to see who gets their heart racing. The experience also includes complimentary drinks and virtual ice-breakers on mobile devices.
Match Dating Patents Under Threat
BLOOMBERG LAW – Mar 17 – Bumble has established a "reasonable likelihood" that it will succeed in invalidating a Match Group patent for computer dating. Patent covers steps that include swiping left or right to indicate disapproval or approval and then setting up communication between the two people if both sides express interest. The patent office is already reviewing the validity of two other Match patents based on Bumble challenges, with decisions expected by the end of the year.
by Susan Decker & Todd Shields
See full article at Bloomberg Law
‘OKZoomer’ Is a New Dating Service for Quarantined College Kids
ROLLINGSTONE – Mar 17 – Two Yale students saw that singles were being sent back to their hometowns, where dating pools are limited, so they created a solution – a dating site called OKZoomer. The website connects college students from 200 schools across the country for virtual Zoom dates. Currently, OKZoomer has garnered ~6K signups from students. Its growth is based almost entirely on word-of-mouth and posts on college meme pages.
Berkeley International Clients Spend £15k on Love
COSMOPOLITAN – Mar 17 – Mairead Molloy is the global director of Berkeley International, the international elite matchmaking agency. Molloy gets to know people quickly, her client-base is made up of applications from the website, referrals and those who she actively seeks. Berkeley International tailor a package for each client, depending on their specific needs – for those willing to spend the big bucks Molloy or one of her 20 global 'ambassadors' will fly all across the world looking for that specific person. Before taking anyone on as a client, there's a brief phone consultation in which it's decided if they're 'suitable' and then it's a full on interview. This takes place in their homes, or in the Berkeley International Offices. The clients are a mixture of lawyers, self-made business owners and celebrities.
Tinder: The Right Chemistry Sparks Innovation
FAST COMPANY – Mar 17 – Swipe Night, the app's interactive post-apocalyptic adventure, is a good way to delight members. Launched in October 2019, members must make a series of choices in limited time, within the context of the story. Swipe Night helped Tinder secure a place on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list. And such creativity isn't an accident. At the heart of Tinder's culture are small, nimble teams comprised of passionate people who work well together, says Tinder CEO Elie Seidman. While the "Z team," hunts for new features and events to attract 18- to 25-year-old members of Generation Z, another team focuses on how to build trust and safety. In the product development world, the concept of the minimum viable product (MVP) – a product with just enough features to satisfy customers – is well-known. But at Tinder, the focus is on the "minimum loveable product," or MLP. In addition to being lean and functional, the product or innovation must also be something that customers will love.
93% of OKCupid’s UK Users Would Still Go on a Date
THE GUARDIAN – Mar 16 – OKCupid has asked its users if coronavirus affects their dating life. OKCupid was prompted to ask the question after noticing a rise of 262% in the number of mentions of the virus in UK profiles between January and March. 93% of users said that they would carry on seeing people in real life, but the virus has apparently prompted people to spend more time looking for love: OKCupid has had a 7% increase in new conversations over the last five days, the company said. Tinder has started warning users of the risks of meeting in person, with an interstitial screen that pops up advising users to wash their hands.
IDEA SUMMIT Success
OPW – Mar 17 – By all accounts, the IDEA SUMMIT on 6th March was a great success. 29 spoke, of which 26 were CEO and/or Co-founders. Ideas were shared and the meeting group of leading dating industry executives were inspired, and enjoyed the incredible surroundings of Harvard Club New York, followed by the IDEA WOW (World Officers Weekend).
The Friday gathering was hosted by Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group, and co-hosted by Mark Brooks, President of IDEA.gp & CEO Courtland Brooks.
Jeff Tinsley, CEO of RealMe was our IDEA vendor-of-interest and kindly sponsored the Thursday dinner.
The Internet Dating Excellence Association exists to help the Internet dating and matchmaking industry grow and achieve its potential. See www.IDEA.gp.
ProSiebenSat.1 Wants to Save Itself With Streaming and Dating
WELT – Mar 16 – CEO Max Conze has completely rebuilt the ProSiebenSat.1 station group. But profits continue to plummet, the stock keeps falling and the management staff is leaving. Most recently, the broadcasting group generated €4.14B in revenue and an adjusted profit of €872M euros . The net debt is €2.25B. A few days ago, Max Conze announced that the group, together with the US financial investor General Atlantic, would take over the American app developer The Meet Group for ~$500M.
Q: Mr. Conze, how satisfied are you with the financial results?
A: We are in the middle of transforming our business into a digital group and we are on the right track. The TV advertising market is certainly difficult right now but at the moment less than half of our revenue is generated by traditional TV advertising. We invested a lot into digital advertising business which has already grown 38% this year.
Q: Your e-commerce companies are bundled in the Nucom Group, in which the financial investor General Atlantic holds 25.1 % of the shares. Can you afford The Meet Group acquisition with a net debt of €2.25B?
A: Yes, we would not have made the offer otherwise. We will hold 55% of the new unit, while GA would increase the shares to 45%. The Parship group with the brands Parship, Eharmony and Elite Partner together with The Meet Group would represent a company value of ~€1.2B.
Q: Would it be large enough to be spun off from the NuCom Group and listed on the stock exchange?
A: If we can turn the combined Parship-Meet Group into a global leader, it would be logical to aim for an IPO in the US over the next two or three years.
by Klaus Boldt
See full article at Welt
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