DATINGXP – May 19 – DOWN Dating & Hookup App launches Snap Match, a quick matching feature, which allows users to find virtual connections almost instantly, around the world. This feature was just launched this week, it's free and available on both Android and iOS.
Month: May 2021
Gitte Bendzulla – Driving Growth and Innovation in the Pandemic Environment
LTR – May 19 – The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on online dating companies. Gitte Bendzulla, COO Spark Networks, discusses the challenges of operating a publicly traded dating company in the current global environment with Mark Brooks, CEO of Courtland Brooks. Spark Networks SE completed its acquisition of Zoosk in July 2019 to improve its position against Match Group. The combined company experienced impressive growth during 2020 as more people turned to online dating during the pandemic lockdowns. The momentum appears to have faded during Q1 2021. Companies must continue to innovate to drive growth as the world transitions to a post-pandemic environment. According to Bendzulla, Online dating company IPOs have brought positive attention to the market and help to establish better relationships with payment providers and investors. Gitte Bendzulla provides her unique perspective on the online dating and social discovery industry in the latest video in the LTR Conference series.
LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and the online conference covers the Internet dating and Online Social Communities space. It is for members of IDEA and OSCA.
The February LTR was kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by The Meet Group, Tawkify, Real Gifts & Courtland Brooks.
Inside Match Group, Julia Estacolchic Uses Her Background to Drive Change
DALLAS BUSINESS JOURNAL – May 18 – Julia Estacolchic joined Match Group in 2017, the same year Chispa, a dating app for U.S. Latinx singles that she leads, was launched. In that time, it has garnered ~4M downloads. However, during the pandemic, Estacolchic has helped turn the brand into a tool that can help change the Latinx community. The app saw 85% YOY growth from 2020. During the pandemic, she developed new partnerships that would grow the app and use it as a call to action. During the most recent elections, a heavy emphasis was put on Latinx voters. In a team effort, Chispa partnered with political nonprofit Voto Latino to launch an initiative that would help connect people based on their political leanings and provide them with the info they need to cast their votes. Looking ahead, Estacolchic said there are more initiatives in the works, including one to build a more female-focused platform.
by Kevin Cummings
See full article at Dallas Business Journal
Dating App Snack Is Disrupting the Dating Industry With Gen-Z in Mind
FORBES – May 18 – It was a TikTok video that gave Kimberly Kaplan the lightbulb moment she needed to inspire her to create a video-first dating app. Snack looks to merge the popularity and format of TikTok with the dating world. Kaplan wants to build an easy way for people to flirt, have fun, and actually see inside a dating prospect's real life.
Q: Where does the name Snack come from?
A: It was actually a couple of Gen-Zers who came up with the name. They also came up with the logo.
Q: What obstacles did you face as you were building Snack?
A: Dating is a really tough industry to break into. But as soon as I started to talk to investors about the idea, they immediately saw the opportunity. I approached investors and fundraised all virtually. It was over Zoom. It was way less intimidating than the experience when you're walking into their boardroom, where they hold the power and you're in their domain.
Q: How does the app work and how is it different from others?
A: You sign up like a typical dating app but instead of you moving over to a messaging screen, you can just scroll through videos of your matches in your feed.
Q: What was the timeline from concept to launch?
A: I was about to start fundraising in March of last year and then Covid hit. Markets tanked, VCs were trying to think about their companies. No one was fundraising, so I paused. In August, I started putting everything back together, and after about three weeks of pitching, I had multiple term sheets.
Q: What advice would you give to others starting their own business?
A: Great ideas disrupt the best laid plans. If you have a really great idea, don't be afraid to go for it.
Upward Dating App Debuts Sermon Series
PR NEWSWIRE – May 18 – Today, Upward, the newest dating app from Match Group for young Christian singles, officially launched their Sermon Series on the Upward Blog. Upward has collaborated with notable pastors from across the country to produce exclusive sermons on hot button subject matters that Gen Z & Millennial Christians face in today's world. Upward's Sermon Series are now available to users and non-users alike via the Upward Blog. Upward is the number one downloaded Christian dating app in the U.S. for Christian singles in 2020.
2Connect – Irish Speed Dating and Matchmaking Company
RTE.IE – May 18 – Hugh Redmond is the owner of 2Connect, a dating company which offers matchmaking, coaching and social events for singles. Redmond had been in the dating business for 17 years and his interest was first piqued when he went speed dating while living in the States. "Covid obviously has disconnected people," he says. "It's a combination of Covid and the fact that dating apps have just led to a rapidly growing community of disconnected, disinterested and disheartened singles." The lockdowns quashed all of the social events so Redmond moved the events online by developing a new platform to best suit his speed dating events needs. "It's kind of like a Zoom experience, except you get a personal room for every date."
CEO of Leading Influencer Network, Barbara Soltysinska to Speak at LTR Edition 8
OPW – May 18 – TOPIC: Influencer marketing expert advice
Barbara runs one of the world's largest influencer networks, with 1.6m influencers. In 2013 she founded LifeTube, a multichannel network for Youtube, which she grew to 300m monthly views, with 270 engaged creators in 3 years and exited in 2016. IndaHash's USP is automating content marketing campaigns, mostly on Insta, FB, Snapchat and Tiktok. With the recent changes with Apple user tracking, influencer marketing becomes even more compelling. Barbara will spell out some key advice for you in this presentation, as you consider how to most effectively grow your influencer marketing programs.
LTR Edition 8 is on Thursday 20th May starting 11:30am EST (New York). If you hold a full time leadership role at an Internet dating company then you are welcome to join IDEA for free, and welcome to join LTR events for free. See the LTR Edition 8 overview, speakers and invite page here. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP for LTR. There are 80 places only.
LTR is kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by Meet Group, Real Gifts, and Courtland Brooks
Spark Networks’ Q1 2021 Results
PR NEWSWIRE – May 17 – Spark Networks' portfolio includes: Zoosk, EliteSingles, SilverSingles, Christian Mingle, Jdate, and JSwipe. Q1 Revenue was $56.4M, a decrease of $1.3M compared to Q1 2020. The decrease in revenue was attributable to the 3% decrease in the number of average paying subscribers. Net Loss was $6.5M, an increase of $2.7M compared to Net Loss of $3.8M in Q1 2020. Average Paying Subscribers decreased by 27,837, or 3%, to 896,344 in Q1 2021.
Tech Firms Could Face Fines Over Harmful Content
SKY NEWS – May 17 – A new Internet bill is expected to come before UK parliament in the coming months. The government says its new Internet laws will help keep children safe and combat racism and other abuse. The draft Online Safety Bill includes:
- Ofcom, the new online regulator, being able to fine companies up to £18M or 10% of their annual global turnover if they fail to take down harmful content
- Ofcom having the power to block access to sites
- Tech firms will have to take responsibility for fraudulent user-generated content, including financial fraud such as romance scams or fake investment opportunities
- The protection of "democratic content", meaning platforms will not be able to discriminate against political viewpoints
Bumble Donates for India’s Covid-19 Relief
LIVEMINT – May 16 – Bumble is donating to UNICEF to support urgent relief efforts in India, provide medical supplies, and help spread crucial information on safety protocols. Our thoughts are with you all," Bumble founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd tweeted.