BUSINESS INSIDER – Grindr plans to build four new direct-to-consumer businesses by 2028, each targeting $15–30M in revenue (up to $120M total), according to an internal roadmap. After launching ED-meds brand Woodwork in 2025, the company aims to expand into areas like wellness and personal care, while scaling AI across the app beyond existing features. CEO George Arison says these ventures will start small with lean teams, marking a rare move for a dating app to diversify beyond subscriptions.
OPW – Edition 48 of the LTR (Love, Tech, Relationships) online experience will be on Wednesday, January 28th, at 12 pm (noon) EST (New York time).
In this edition of LTR, Mark Brooks will sit down with Ophir Laizerovich, President and Co-Founder of LeadThink. Ophir will talk through tactics and best practices for Google pay-per-click and Facebook paid acquisition for dating companies. He manages millions of dollars a month in lead spend for the dating industry and has been working with dating companies for over 15 years.
Following the interview, Mark will be talking about the Courtland Brooks influencer system. This is a system of ensuring that an influencer integration has the best possible chances of succeeding. Four years of influencer marketing experience wrapped up in 20 minutes.
If you hold a full-time leadership role at an online dating company, you are welcome to join LTR events for free.
Why attend LTR?
🏠 Flexible: Attend from anywhere – no travel required.
⏰ Convenient: Live session. 90 minutes.
💰 Free: No registration fees.
See the LTR Edition 48 speakers and invite page here.
Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.
FAST COMPANY – Hinge is growing while most major dating apps are shrinking. In 2025, Hinge reached ~15M monthly active users, 1.87M paying users (+17% YoY), generated $550M in 2024 revenue, and ~$500M in the first nine months of 2025. Hinge’s CEO Justin McLeod attributes its performance to a focus on outcomes, not engagement. The app is designed to help users meet in real life and delete the app, even if that means adding friction. Users must upload multiple photos, answer prompts, and engage more deeply, which Hinge says increases the likelihood of going on dates. Features like “Your Turn Limits” reduce ghosting, and AI nudges users toward setting up real-world dates.
PRESS RELEASE – Julie Spira, a longtime online dating expert and creator of the Digital Matchmaker brand, released The Valentine’s Dating Playbook, a free 60-page guide to help singles navigate dating apps around Valentine’s season. It focuses on clarity, helping people assess real progress, avoid ambiguous connections, and date more intentionally.
PRNEWSWIRE – Surf Dating has been named the official dating partner of HYROX Americas, becoming a national partner across North American events in 2026. The partnership integrates Surf into HYROX races by allowing users to filter for HYROX athletes and trainees in the app, hosting on-site activations such as singles wristbands, pre-race runs, recovery events, and official after-parties, and encouraging offline connections among fitness-focused singles.
PRESS RELEASE – UK Matchmaking agency Dating Options reported £2.1M in sales in 2025. The company was founded in 2003 by Mike Parker and is currently led by Managing Director Andrew Parker-Dennis. It operates nationally across the UK, with its head office located near Stratford-upon-Avon. During 2025, Dating Options facilitated 2,222 new relationships. Its service model requires clients to be personally interviewed and then assigned a dedicated matchmaker who provides curated introductions; many packages also include professional coaching.
LINKEDIN – 2025 was a year of execution for Feels, a mobile dating app built around short video profiles and personality-first discovery rather than static photos. The company generated $8.5M in revenue, up from $4.7M in 2024, an increase of 80% YOY. EBITDA margin improved from -22% to -6%. Feels expanded into three new geographies during the year and reached 8M total downloads.
THE DRUM – Breeze, a dating app designed to move matches quickly from the screen to an in-person date, is launching in the UK. The launch is promoted with a national campaign created by Cloudfactory that focuses on the moment of agreeing to meet rather than prolonged messaging.
NEW YORK TIMES – The Love Symposium, held in San Francisco, brought together tech founders, dating app builders, researchers, and philosophers to discuss whether dating and relationships can be improved through data, A.I., and optimization. The event featured talks on predicting relationship outcomes, psychometrics, alternative matchmaking models, and the broader loneliness and marriage decline debate. One of the apps represented was Keeper, which uses extensive personal data and A.I. to match users and ties its fees to long-term relationship outcomes.
THE INDEPENDENT – A new UK law makes cyberflashing a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, forcing dating and social platforms to proactively detect and block unsolicited nude images. Regulators, including Ofcom, can fine non-compliant companies up to 10% of global revenue or block services. The move shifts responsibility from users to platforms, with Bumble cited as an early example through its AI-based nudity detection. The goal is to significantly improve online safety, particularly for women and girls.