YAHOO LIFESTYLE – Mar 5 – Former Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg shared her "emotional and complex" decision to resign from Match Group, after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene. She explained her March 1st resignation in an essay for Fast Company: "It was an emotional and complex decision. This job has been the most fulfilling and impactful role of my career. But a one-two punch of personal issues forced me to take a step back and reprioritize." Ginsberg explained that after the October tornado, a series of which caused a reported $2B in damages throughout Texas, her family was displaced. Throughout the stress and her nonstop work schedule, Ginsberg missed voicemails from her doctor stating that the FDA had recalled her breast implants, which she got after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene. "This would mean another round of surgery to remove and replace my implants, along with a weeks-long recovery," Ginsberg wrote in Fast Company. "This would be my fourth surgery to prevent breast and ovarian cancer. After sitting down with my husband over the holidays, I knew there was no way I could balance my personal needs and my job as CEO."
Month: March 2020
Tinder to Help Women Entrepreneurs in India
TIMES OF INDIA – Mar 5 – Tinder has pledged up to $1M in in-app advertising to support women entrepreneurs in India. Tinder is inviting applications from companies where at least 50% of the founding team are women or identify as women. To qualify, companies should be under 3 years old, have cumulatively raised less than Rs 35 crores in equity financing, and actively target Gen-Z and millennial audiences in India. Both for-profit and not-for-profit entities may apply.
Fourplay: Dating App for Double, Less Awkward Dates
ONWARD STATE – Mar 5 – Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek are hoping to change the dating scene with their new app, Fourplay. Fourplay gives pairs of single friends a chance to team up and match with other pairs of singles, making first dates less awkward and safer. The idea originated while Griggs and Dietzek were living together in New York after meeting as sorority sisters at Penn State. They decided to make a shared dating profile as a joke. It turns out that the idea generated a bit of positive feedback, which left the pair curious if they could take it one step further. Fourplay is completely free with no premium charges. Anyone can team up with as many friends and match with as many different types of people as they want. The pair's app is available now for download on the App Store and Google Play.
New Study Links Swipe-Based Dating Apps to Poor Mental Health
MIRAGE NEWS – Mar 5 – Research by Western Sydney University and the University of Sydney has found people using swipe-based dating apps experience especially higher rates of psychological distress and probable depression than non-users. Whilst 40% of current or past users felt that swipe-based dating apps had a positive impact on their self-esteem, current dating app users were two and half times more likely to report psychological distress and twice as likely to report probable depression. The online survey of 437 Australians compared the impact of dating habits on the mental health of both swipe-based dating app and non-app users.
Veggly, Dating App for Vegans and Vegetarians, Reached 100K Users
PR NEWSWIRE – Mar 5 – The number of people using Veggly has increased fivefold since mid-2019, with ~100K users now. Alex Felipelli, Veggly's founder and CEO, designed the app to facilitate friendships, flirting and short- and long-term relationships among vegans and vegetarians, who often face challenges forming lasting romantic connections with omnivores. Veggly, which launched in 2018, is available in English, Danish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, with Polish scheduled to be available this year. 53% percent of users are female and 47% are male. 58% of users are vegan, 28% are vegetarian and 14% identify as in transition. The largest age group active on Veggly is 25-34 years old.
Apple Allows Push Notification Advertising and Updates Dating App Review Guidelines
9TO5MAC – Mar 5 – Apple has updated its App Store review guidelines. Apple will be stricter when reviewing apps categorized as "dating" and "fortune telling". "We will reject these apps unless they provide a unique, high-quality experience" says the company. Push notifications can now be used for marketing purposes, as long as the user authorizes it. Developers must also provide a method in the app to allow users to opt-out of receiving such messages. Finally, developers will also no longer be able to prompt users with custom review notifications, as they’re now required to use the official API provided by Apple.
Righter: Dating App for Conservatives
12NEWS – Mar 4 – Christy Edwards, creator of the "Righter" dating app says users are looking to find a partner who can relate to their political preference. She says, it's a platform for conservatives to meet like-minded singles looking to link up. She says with the app, men are encouraged to be gentlemen while the women are encouraged to let the men take the reins.
Tinder Is Launching a Concierge Service for $20
Hinge to Pay Users $100 to Go on a Date This Weekend
Spectrum Labs Joins the ODA
PRESS RELEASE – Mar 4 – Spectrum Labs helps online dating companies recognize and respond to toxic behaviour in real time using AI, across many languages.