S'MORE – Dec 23 – S'More, a new relationships app that's about getting to know a person before seeing a profile picture, surveyed its users about post Covid dating. Key findings:
DIGITAL JOURNAL – Dec 23 – Meet Positives, will be partnering with Express STD Testing. Meet Positives is a social media platform which provides an opportunity for people living with lifelong infections to share their experiences while remaining anonymous. Express STD Testing provides fast, discreet, accurate and affordable STD testing.
LAW STREET MEDIA – Dec 22 – Bumble has filed a trademark opposition before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board against Bithive's application for the subject design. Bumble claimed that it would be harmed by the registration of this application because of the similarities between the marks and the likelihood of consumer confusion. Bithive is an online platform where individuals can create virtual communities based on interest.
GAY TIMES – Dec 22 – Taimi, a LGBTQ+ social network and dating app has incorporated live streaming into the core of its business model and expects the feature to become one of the key revenue channels in 2021. During Fall 2020, Taimi users have streamed for over 10 years, hosting 403k unique sessions and amassing 7.3M views. Taimi has also introduced Live Duet, which allows users to hop into other users' and co-host by interacting with the streamer directly instead of using the comments section. In 2021, the company expects live streaming to become a solid source of income and bring up to 30% of total revenue.
IDEA – Dec 22 – The dating industry is filled with amazing leaders, many with extraordinary tenure and commitment. Today we launch a new program for IDEA, to recognize and help you identify the leaders who have been dedicated to the Internet dating industry for 10 years or more. Please see this link, and let me know (mark@courtlandbrooks.com) if anyone that you admire is missing.
OPW – Dec 22 – We believe it's not ok to re-write content from journalists. They deserve full credit. This is why we merely illuminate content, and do short culling executive summaries and then point you to their bio and content.
We link to the journalists profile, along with other articles on the company featured in the article, and we drive you, our executive readers, to the original article. It doesn't matter if you're finding the summary in your email, or social media, we're not trying to land you back at our website so you can view ads. We're sending you to the originating article so you can view their ads, or better, subscribe to their outlet.
We illuminate the top news. The news you can use to make smarter and more informed decisions…and we make sure we give full credit and recognition to the amazing journalists that work so hard (on ever-tighter deadlines and budgets) to research and write the news.
BLOOMBERG – Dec 21 – A listing could come around Valentine's Day. No final decision has been made and the timing could change. Bumble, backed by the Blackstone Group, could seek a valuation of $6B to $8B in an IPO. The firm is working with advisers including Goldman Sachs Group, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley.
THIS DAY – Dec 21 – Dare Olatoye, a 39-year-old digital entrepreneur, and his brother, Ayo, has launched a matchmaking app, Trueflutter. Trueflutter seeks to connect Nigerian and African singles looking for a serious relationship. In 2018 when they had a test-run of the app, the feedback was mind-blowing. ~15K users downloaded the app. Unlike most dating apps which offer users only profile pictures, Trueflutter allows users to add a voice note to their profile. It also lets them respond with a voice text. In August 2020, the brothers closed a seed round which was a syndicated investment from three Angel Networks, and used this to finalize the full product which was recently launched.
MORNING BREW – Dec 20 – The top 20 dating apps have gained 1.5M daily active users this year, according to Apptopia data from November. Video chatting on Bumble spiked 93% in the pandemic's early days, while the average conversation length on Tinder rose 10%-30%. OkCupid reported a 188% increase in coronavirus mentions on profiles between January and February. But business has been meh: Match Group initially struggled to convert higher engagement into dollars. Average revenue per user stayed flat early this year, partly because users were less inclined to splurge on premium features if they knew the prospects of an in-person date were slim.
by Toby Howell
See full article at Morning Brew
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