BENZINGA – Markus Frind, a Canadian entrepreneur, created Plenty of Fish (POF) in 2003. POF differentiated itself from competitors by offering a free business model. The site grew to 15M users and $10M in revenue by 2008, and by 2014, its revenue reached $100M per year. Frind sold POF to Match Group in 2015 for $575M. All of this was done without ever taking a single investor dollar or having any other shareholders/partners. Since then, Frind has been involved in various ventures, including managing a billion-dollar investment portfolio, serving as a director of Cymax Group, and running a winery.
Month: April 2023
Meet Loop: the Setup Network
HARBUS – Loop is a new dating app that focuses on trust and personal connections. It allows users to set up their single friends or be set up by others within their social network. Launching at Harvard Business School on April 9, Loop aims to address trust issues present in mainstream dating apps and create a more genuine dating experience.
Professor Paul Dolan – How to Connect With and Use Academics to Inform Your Product Strategy
LTR – Currently, Professor Dolan holds the position of Professor of Behavioural Science at the LSE and serves as the Director of the Executive MSc in Behavioural Science. He is an internationally recognized authority on happiness, behavior, and public policy, and conducts original research on the measurement, causes, and consequences of happiness. With more than 120 peer-reviewed papers and 31K citations, he has collaborated extensively with policy-makers and private companies.
Professor Dolan discusses the benefits of collaboration between academics and the dating industry, particularly in the areas of economics and psychology. He explains that academics are interested in establishing cause-and-effect relationships between interventions and changes in behavior. This is best achieved through observing human behavior in natural environments without them knowing they are being watched. In the dating industry, manipulating people's profiles can help establish causal effects, but ethical considerations must be taken into account. Professor Dolan also mentions that there is currently less collaboration between academia and the dating industry than in other fields such as health and finance.
The March LTR was kindly sponsored by technology providers Livebox by The Meet Group, Courtland Brooks and Matchmaker.com
Tinder Explores $500/Month Subscription With ‘Tinder Vault’ for High-Value Dating Experiences
PositiveSingles Introduces “My Event” Feature
NEWSFILE – PositiveSingles, a dating site for people living with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), has introduced a new "My Event" feature, allowing members to create custom events to connect with others in a more personalized dating experience. The Canada-based platform, established in 2001, is designed for users with at least one STD or STI and aims to create equal opportunities for meaningful relationships. With ~2M members, the platform is popular among 20-30 year olds and leads the online dating and support market for people living with STDs.
Study: Smokers Get Half as Many Matches on Dating Apps Compared to Non-Smokers
NOW TORONTO – A recent study by Dua.com found that smokers receive 52.7% fewer matches on dating apps compared to non-smokers. The research analyzed ~460K users and revealed that non-smoking females received 63.6% more matches than female smokers, while 48.4% of users preferred non-smoking males. The study also discovered that young adults aged 18 to 24, who were the most active smokers, received 48% fewer matches compared to non-smokers in the same age group.
FITFCK Releases Dating App for Gym Lovers
PR NEWSWIRE – FITFCK, a dating brand for gym enthusiasts, has launched a new dating app targeting single gym-goers in the UK. The app aims to connect fitness lovers, professionals, and athletes, allowing users to match and chat with others based on their fitness interests, workout preferences, and favorite foods. The company already has an engaged audience of 51k+ Instagram followers and a growing waitlist for its app. Monthly product updates are planned throughout 2023 to enhance the user experience.
LTR Edition 21 Gets Record RSVPs
OPW – LTR Edition 21 is now over 50 RSVPs. LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and is the monthly online gathering of leaders in the Online Dating industry. This is where we learn, share and connect. Daniel Salmon from New Street Research and Joel Simkhai who founded Grindr, are speaking. See event details here.
IDEA (see IDEA.gp) members are welcome to join the LTR event, and can apply to IDEA free by emailing mark@courtlandbrooks.com. IDEA, LTR, and OPW (Online Personals Watch) are all services provided for free by Courtland Brooks.
Ryoma Yamamoto Appointed as New CEO of Eureka/Pairs
EUREKA – Eureka, operator of Japan's popular dating and matchmaking app "Pairs," has appointed Ryoma Yamamoto as the new CEO. Yamamoto brings extensive experience in technology, business growth, and transformation from global companies, having worked at McKinsey & Company for over a decade and contributing to the rapid spread of mobile payments in Japan through Apple Pay. His new role will involve making efficient management decisions and leveraging the knowledge of the US Match Group. Former CEO Junya Ishibashi will resign from his position but will continue contributing to the growth of Eureka and Pairs as a director.