All Acquisitions – Page 12 – Online Personals Watch

Spark Networks To Merge With EliteSingles

Posted on May 3, 2017

ACCESSWIRE – May 2 – German dating company Affinitas, which operates premium online dating platforms EliteSingles, eDarling and Attractive World, is merging with Spark Networks. The newly formed company will be named Spark Networks SE and will be headquartered in Berlin, and maintain a significant U.S. presence with offices in New York City and Lehi, Utah. The combination will create a company with ~$115M of pro forma combined revenue over the twelve months. EliteSingles shareholders will own ~75% of Spark Networks SE and Spark shareholders will own 25%. Jeronimo Folgueira, CEO of EliteSingles, will serve as CEO and Robert O'Hare, Spark's CFO, will continue in that role with the combined company. Michael Schrezenmaier, Managing Director of EliteSingles, will become COO. The Board of Directors will be comprised of seven directors, including three to be selected by EliteSingles, one to be selected by Spark, and three to be mutually agreed upon by EliteSingles and Spark.

See the full article at Internet Dating Newswire

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Gay Dating App GuySpy Acquired By Pink Triangle Press

Posted on March 20, 2017

LGBT WEEKLY – Mar 17 – Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Pink Triangle Press already owns another gay dating app, Squirt.org, along with other brands serving the gay community. "This acquisition is part of our long-term goal to have greater exposure for Pink Triangle Press and to further grow and expand into an entirely new segment through the GuySpy social network and mobile app", according to David Walberg, Digital Media Chief Executive for Pink Triangle Press.

by Steve Lee
See full article at LGBT Weekly

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

MeetMe Acquires If(we), Parent Company Of Tagged And Hi5

Posted on March 7, 2017

TECH CRUNCH – Mar 7 – The deal is worth $60M in cash, partially funded by a $30M loan from JP Morgan. Tagged and Hi5 will both remain their own distinct brands. If(we) reported $44M revenue in 2016, with 56% coming from mobile and claimed to have 5.4M MAU, with 18k new users coming every day. The company managed to raise $28.7M. After the merger, the combined company will have 10.6M MAU and nearly 1.1M DAU. MeetMe expects If(we) to add $9M to its earnings over the next 12 months.

by Josh Constine
See full article at Tech Crunch

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Match.com-Backed Zhenai Plans A-Share Listing Via Reverse Merger

Posted on February 18, 2017

CHINAMONEY NETWORK – Feb 17 – Zhenai, a Chinese online dating site 20% owned by Match.com, is planning a back-door listing via a reverse merger with Shenzhen-listed DEA General Aviation Holding Co., Ltd. DEA, an aviation parts and electronics maker, said it plans to acquire 100% of Zhenai via new share issuance. The deal is still in the process of being finalized and the two parties have not signed a formal agreement, according to the filing. Zhenai claims ~100M registered users. The company also registered $145M in revenues and $14M in net profits in 2016.

by Li Dongmei
See full article at ChinaMoney Network

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Tinder Acquires Wheel, An App For Snapchat-like Videos

Posted on February 16, 2017

TECH CRUNCH – Feb 16 – Tinder is acquiring an L.A.-based startup called Wheel, which had developed a social network for sharing Snapchat-like videos. Wheel was originally founded in 2015, when it was then called Ferris. The company had raised $2M in 2015. However, Wheel did not became a breakout success. According to data from App Annie, the app was ranked #574 in the Photo & Video category on the App Store. Following the acquisition, Wheel's founding team will join Tinder, including CEO Paul Boukadakis, CTO Chris Shaheen, Joey Boukadakis and Brian Daugherty. Boukadakis will be VP of Special Initiatives at Tinder, and Shaheen will be a senior engineer. Tinder did not share what specific plans it had for video.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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China Drone Maker Wants To Buy Zhenai.com

Posted on February 15, 2017

REUTERS – Feb 15 – DEA General Aviation announced it's intent to acquire the dating site today, in order to expand its business. The company didn't disclose how much it would pay for Zhenai. Zhenai reported 1B yuan ($145,59M) revenue in 2016 and has more than 100M users.

by Brenda Goh
See full article at Reuters

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Why Match Group Was Right To Dump Princeton Review

Posted on February 9, 2017

THE MOTLEY FOOL – Feb 8 – Match has entered into an agreement to sell Princeton Review to ST Unitas, a global education technology company, for an undisclosed amount. The deal is expected to close by June. Princeton Review offers test-prep services and a guide to colleges. The marriage between the dating and non-dating services left many investors scratching their heads. Princeton Review never contributed more than a small amount of revenue to the overall company. Match CEO Greg Blatt summed up the decision by saying, "It has become increasingly clear to us that its differences from our core dating businesses meaningfully exceed its similarities." Companies often shutter struggling business to focus on core operations. The amount of the sale was not disclosed, but Princeton Review's revenue in 2016 was $104M.

by Jeremy Bowman
See full article at The Motley Fool

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Paktor Continues Spending Spree: Acquires Taiwan’s Goodnight

Posted on February 8, 2017

SG NEWS – Feb 8 – Founded in 2015, Goodnight matches people with common interests, after which, they can engage in a voice chat of up to seven minutes. It claims a user base of ~500K. Paktor has formed a new division called Paktor Labs, which is a social apps accelerator headed by Colin Hodge, previously CEO and co-founder of Down and Sweet (two dating apps Paktor bought last month). Down and Sweet, Goodnight and Kickoff (acquired last May) will all be part of Paktor Labs. These newly acquired apps will increase Paktor's user base by ~7M, bringing the total number to 20M users.

by Yon Heong Tung
See full article at SGNews

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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Swiss Dating App Blinq Acquired By Outdoor Ad Firm APG|SGA

Posted on February 4, 2017

TECH CRUNCH – Feb 3 – The price of the deal wasn't disclosed, but given Blinq's limited traction, it probably wasn't very high. The dating app, that was incorporating beacon proximity technology, and the algorithm to judge physical attractiveness, also develped by the startup, will be both shut down within two weeks. The team will join APG|SGA to help the company to launch a beacon network for a new division that will be developing interactive ads to work in conjunction with the Bluetooth comms tech. The startup had raised ~ $1M since its launch in 2013 and claims 400k registered users.

by Natasha Lomas
See full article at Tech Crunch

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Dating App Woo Acquires LA Based Dus

Posted on February 1, 2017

VC CIRCLE – Feb 1 – The price wasn't disclosed. Woo acquired the Dus platform and brand to increase its foothold in the US. Dus had around 150k members and was specifically aimed at South Asian singles living in the US. Its leadership team will join Woo and help with developing a country growth strategy and customising user features designed for the international Indian community.