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Month: February 2023
Rebel Wilson Launching ‘Fluid’ Dating App
CNN – Rebel Wilson is launching a new dating app, "Fluid." "This is the first dating app where you don't have to define yourself or tick a box to say 'I'm straight, I'm gay, I'm bisexual,' and you don't have to describe what you are looking for," she says. Wilson is one of the co-founders of the app. She surprised many when she revealed in June 2022 that she was dating Agruma, who is a fashion and jewelry designer. The app is scheduled to be available for download later this month.
Hinge Is Rolling out Its $50 per Month Subscription Today
Anupam Mittal Shares How He Managed to Raise Funds in Early Days
MASHABLE – From chasing VCs to becoming one, Mittal has become more than a matchmaker. His Shaadi.com venture is India's largest matchmaking platform, where Mittal constantly innovates with shifts in times and technologies. His gig as a Shark at the popular business reality Shark Tank India has made him a household name. Mittal laments that back in 2006 when he first stepped out to raise funds for Shaadi.com, there were hardly any VCs in India. He packed his suitcase and went to Silicon Valley, where all the Private Equity biggies and VCs were huddled. But it was way tougher than he could imagine. Mittal doesn't reveal the name of the first VC but says that the process took 4-5 months and they could garner the required funds.
Podcast: The Price of Dating Apps
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Dating apps are asking users to pay more for features and access to matches as a way to counter slowing growth. WSJ's Heard on the Street columnist Laura Forman talks about the pressure on Match Group.
Video Is Fueling the Newest Group of Dating App Startups
TECH CRUNCH – TechCrunch looked at three new video-based dating startups that are using video to connect people in advance of their real-world dates.
Candid
Launched on February 14 to offer users a new TikTok-style dating app with video profiles to show off their personality. The 45-second videos are recorded in-app, so potential matches know the video was recently taken and is authentic.
Ditto
Formerly known as Iso Date, Ditto is the startup's new video speed dating app where users can have 3-minute speed dating sessions via live video chat. The sessions occur every Tuesday from 8 -9 p.m. ET. Ditto is currently available to New York users only.
IRLY
Another video chat-based dating app, IRLY (I Really Like You), is launching on Feb 28. Catering to Gen Z, IRLY lets users video chat with a potential match and play in-app games like "Truth or Dare," "Would You Rather" and more. IRLY was founded in 2021 by Canada-based university students Connor Rose and Laura Rollock. Social media influencer Cameron Dallas joined as a co-founder in Nov 2022.
Muzz Raised 121K For Turkey in 2 Days
OPW – Dating app Muzz is raising money to provide emergency aid to earthquake survivors in Turkey. They're working in partnership with Muslim Aid to provide shelter, food and hygiene products to Turkish residents and Syrian refugees in the affected areas.
Speed Dating Is Back
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Daters with swipe fatigue are signing up for singles' nights and speed-meeting events. Attendance at speed-dating events put on by Pre-Dating Speed Dating waned as dating apps took off in the early part of the last decade, says Linda deLucca, the company's co-owner. Many of its competitors shut down. In the past year, however, Ms. deLucca says demand is higher than when the company started in 2001. Pre-Dating operates across 70 cities in the U.S. MyCheekyDate runs speed dating for gay and straight singles in 50 cities in the U.S. and another dozen around the world.
LunchDates Uses Personal Touch to Turn Boston Singles Into Couples
CBS – For ~40 years, LunchDates.com has been a premier matchmaking service for turning Boston singles into couples. "We interview all of our clients, and we get to know them, and at the end of the interview, usually a couple of people come to mind," says Jill Vandor, LunchDates's Executive Matchmaker & Dating Coach. From there, they offer date coaching and some strong solid advice.
by Levan Reid
See full article at CBS
The Dating App Revolution Has Hit Japan
JAPAN TIMES – In a recent survey of 20- to 40-year-olds in Japan, 80% of unmarried men and women said they wanted a relationship. But a majority of that number, 55%, said they were moderately or very passive in their approach to dating. In addition to internationally known apps such as Tinder and Bumble, popular Japanese dating apps include Omiai, Pairs, Tapple and YYC (in order from least to most casual). Despite their popularity, users still report complaints about the dating app method in Japan. Men lament getting regularly stood up, and women describe a frequent expectation of sex on the first date that can sometimes turn aggressive. Both men and women have also complained about ghosting. "72% of Tinder members say they want to meet someone who understands exactly what they're looking for," says Kyo Cho, the country manager at Tinder Japan. To address that, Tinder recently introduced a "Relationship Goals" tab for user profiles that lets them display what they're looking for, with the options of "long-term partner," "long-term, open to short," "short-term, open to long," etc.