BLOOMBERG – Grindr has named George Arison its new CEO, fulfilling a pledge to appoint someone who identifies with that group to lead the company as it prepares to go public. Arison, 44, is the co-founder and former CEO of auto e-commerce marketplace Shift Technologies. He will start at Grindr on Oct 19. Grindr also named Vanna Krantz as its new CFO. Krantz is the current CFO of transportation and payments company Passport Labs, and she previously served in that role at Disney Streaming Services. The appointments are part of a previously announced transition that will see current CEO Jeff Bonforte and CFO Gary Hsueh step down and move into advisory roles with the company.
Month: September 2022
People Have Mixed Feelings About STI Dating Apps
BUZZFEED NEWS – There are a number of STI-focused dating apps, including H Date, HSV Singles, Meet Positives, Meet People With Herpes. Positive Singles is one of the most popular dating platforms for people with herpes, as well as other sexually transmitted infections like HIV and chlamydia. Successful Match, a dating company that owns niche dating sites like MillionaireMatch, InterracialMatch, SeniorMatch, and Meet People With Herpes, created Positive Singles in 2001. It boasts ~2.37M users, but it's experienced increased scrutiny over the years. In 2014, Successful Match paid out $16.5M in a settlement from a class action lawsuit after users accused the company of sharing private data with third parties. Positive Singles has made an increasing effort to recruit prominent STI influencers as product ambassadors over the years. Clinical psychologist and sex therapist Maggie Dancel said an STI dating platform has the potential to help those who are unable to escape the "damning and negative feelings associated with being diagnosed," and ideally find an empathetic community. But it may limit opportunities for growth and acceptance from the non-status community.
Tinder Japan Is Opening SwipeMart – Tinder Convenience Store
False Ad Class Action Against Bumble Shifts to Arbitration
LAWSTREETMEDIA – A California man sued Bumble over two paid features that he claimed the company exaggerated. The complaint said that SuperSwipes and Spotlight, which according to Bumble, increase the likelihood of matching with another user by "up to 10x" were falsely advertised. After purchasing the features, the plaintiff asserted he experienced no discernible increase. Nine months after a putative class action was filed, a Northern District of California court has agreed to move the app user's false advertising case to arbitration.
by Christina Tabacco
See full article at LawStreetMedia
Shaadi.com Plans Second Go at IPO
LIVEMINT – While Shaadi.com founder and CEO Anupam Mittal did not disclose details of his IPO plans, the move comes more than a decade after the company's initial listing plans for 2009 were deferred. Shaadi.com plans to go public over the next fiscal. While Shaadi.com was founded in 1996 by Mittal, he established the People Group in 2001. Mittal owns a significant stake in the company, along with a minority stake held by venture capital firm Saama Capital. Besides Shaadi.com, the group also runs the real estate website Makaan.com and mobile gaming firm Mauj Mobile.
How Online Dating Scams Work – and Who Gets Targeted
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Americans reported losing ~$1.3B in romance-related fraud from 2017 to 2021, according to the FTC, greater than any other category of fraud tracked by the agency. Scammers typically target older, poorer, less educated and single people. Women are reported to lose more significant sums of money. In the majority of cases, the victims are older than 40, with 50 to 59 being the most vulnerable. Data also suggest that the degree of financial loss increases with the age of the victim. Dating sites should have built-in technical trust-building mechanisms. Simple two-factor authentication can substantially reduce the number of fake accounts by weeding out less-sophisticated scammers. The industry also needs to develop a web-assurance seal program – an outside agency that monitors and ensures that sites comply with the policies.
Tinder Launches Advocacy Campaign Urging Senate to Pass Respect for Marriage Act
THE HILL – Tinder, its parent company Match Group and the Human Rights Campaign are urging the Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, a piece of federal legislation that would safeguard same-sex and interracial marriage rights. A new ad campaign on Tinder will spotlight LGBTQ+ couples who met on the platform and direct current users to a landing page with an email template they can send to their senators that encourages them to support the bill.
Match Can’t Avoid Google’s Breach Claims in Play Store
LAW360 – A California federal judge has declined to dismiss Google's contract breach counterclaims against Match Group for using an alternative billing system in violation of Google's payment policy.
Aisle Takes on the Horrors of Casual Dating in Its New Campaign
BESTMEDIAINFO – Dating app Aisle has unveiled its 'Dating Horrors' ad campaign, which comprises a series of five films. With its 'Let's Get Real' tagline, Aisle hopes to discourage users from accepting dating faux pas as commonplace. The ads, Unsolicited Pics, Misleading Profiles, Insistent Messaging, Ghosting, and No Labels are available across key social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
LuvHut Acquires Dive to Expand IRL Meetups
PRESS RELEASE – LuvHut, a dating app founded in Boston, is acquiring Dive, an event-based platform for singles. The platform allows users to book dates directly in the app while helping partnered restaurants increase visibility and reservations from LuvHut users. To date, LuvHut has raised $460K and plans to use these funds to bolster its footprint across New England and Florida after the acquisition of Dive.
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