TNN – Apr 19 – Dating app QuackQuack witnessed a 12% spike in female users in 2020, signifying that more women are comfortable using dating apps now. Female users login to the app 48x times a day whereas male users login 24x. Also, chat statistics are higher for women daters as compared to men. Women chat with 25 users while men chat with 10 users. More women (52%) are also keen to meet people from other cities while 48% of them are fine with dating from their location. Initially, 90.8% women prefer longer text conversations over video calls as they feel uncomfortable to start a conversation directly on a video call.
Month: April 2021
Inside Private Elite Dating App Raya
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Apr 19 – Daniel Gendelman, 36, founded LA based dating app Raya in 2015. Celebs who've used the app include Sharon Stone and Channing Tatum. With a waiting list of 100K and stricter vetting procedures than any private members' club, Raya is the most exclusive match-making service ever devised, and the most private, too. The first rule of Raya is not to talk about Raya. Some have had their memberships terminated for just mentioning on social media that they are using the app. Raya says they 'periodically review' their community and remove anyone who isn't respecting the members' privacy, but leaks still happen. Members pay £5.99 a month. Because the pool is small – 10K in total – users aren't limited by location but can match internationally. Most users tend to be in London, Paris or LA. Users choose a 'theme song' that accompanies their photos. There is also a feature solely for networking for work purposes.
More People ‘Digitally Dating’ During Pandemic
TORONTO SUN – Apr 19 – Hinge saw app downloads increase 96% in Canada, a 40% increase in dates in this country, and a 40% increase in dates in Toronto, in 2020 compared to 2019. "Generally speaking more people are digitally dating right now," said Tim MacGougan, Hinge's chief product officer. "We also find that people are reflecting more on who they want in a partner and what they want out of life."
Dating App AYA Stands for “Come ‘As You Are'”
FINANCIAL EXPRESS – Apr 18 – AYA, a home-grown dating & social networking app built exclusively for the Indian LGBTQ+ community, prides itself on being a no-pressure zone. The app also aims to offer matchmaking services to the community one day. While the annulment of Section 377 may have granted the Indian LGBTQ+ community legal status, it did not neutralise or de-stigmatise the social taboos. AYA aims to create a safe space to counter the challenges of queer dating. With 9,500-plus downloads to date, the app is currently available for Android users. The user base accounts for 40% from tier-1 cities, 40% from tier-2 cities, and the rest from all over the country.
Mexico Has the Most ‘Sugar Daddies’
ENTREPRENEUR – Apr 17 – In Mexico there are ~183k 'sugar daddies' available on SeekingArrangement. 2nd is Brazil, with 141k 'papitos', 3rd is Colombia with 73k. The relationship between the men and women is not a simple exchange of money for company or other benefits. "Sugar daddies not only provide financial assistance, they can also be mentors", explains Brandon Wade, CEO/Founder. SeekingArrangement is the world's largest sugar dating app/site, with 22m members. "Both 'mature men' and girls "seek mutually beneficial relationships, on their own terms."
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Profile: Dmitriy Volkov, Co-Founder, Dating Group
OPW – Apr 17 – Dmitriy Volkov is co-founder of Dating Group and CEO of Social Discovery Ventures. See prior Forbes article on Dmitriy "How a Philosopher from Moscow Made $750M on Dating".
Here's an in-depth and intimate interview with Dmitriy about his life, love, and what brings him joy. Philosophy, jazz, art, theater, and Dmitriy's first break in cinema. He's an MSU Professor, investor, and dating industry, and digital entrepreneur. Learn a lot more about Dmitriy in this tour de force video bio.
This video was originally run in Russian, by businessman Oscar Hartmann on his Youtube channel. See original video.
Full Disclosure: Social Discovery Ventures was a prior client of Courtland Brooks, and I was Chief Strategy Officer in 2013. – Mark Brooks
Facebook’s Own Ads Reveal “Facebook Dating” Is Not That Hot
THE VERGE – Apr 16 – Facebook first introduced its dating product as a test in Colombia in 2018 and brought it Stateside in September 2019. Since then, the company hasn't said much. However, The Verge has found multiple screenshots that suggest the actual size of Facebook's dating product isn't all that large but that it's growing. The company runs in-house ads that advertise the number of users it has in specific regions. In the country's largest city, New York, the company advertised 278K singles "currently dating" in the city this week. In Indianapolis, it advertised 43K people, and in Ottawa, Canada, it claimed to have 24K.
Muzmatch Is Building a Bakery in East Sudan
MUZMATCH – Apr 16 – This Ramadan, muzmatch is partnering with Ethar Relief to raise $150K to build a bakery in East Sudan to provide fresh bread and jobs to refugees. If you would like to donate, you can do so here https://muzmatch.app.link/Donate.
Feels Is a New Dating App With Profiles That Look More Personal
TECH CRUNCH – Apr 15 – Feels, a new French startup, feels more like watching TikTok videos or browsing stories. Users can record videos, add text and stickers, share photos, answer questions and more. Feels plans to attract new users with organic TikTok posts, some TV ads and more. The company wants to reach 1M users by the end of the year with a big focus on France for now. There are 100K users right now. Feels started offering a premium subscription to unlock more features. The company is still iterating on that part.