WKRB13 – July 24 - Spark Networks insider Gregory J. Franchina sold 21.528 shares of the company’s stock on the open market. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.95, for a total value of $128,091.
by Kristian Gore
The full article was originally published at WKRB13, but is no longer available.
See all posts on Spark Networks
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
WUV.DE – July 17 – Match.com, which operates in Germany under Neu.de, has bought FriendScout24 from Scout24 Holding. The investment firm Hellman & Friedman, which is the majority owner of Scout24, wants to focus primarily on their real estate brand ImmoScout24. In November last year, Hellman & Friedman took over 70% of the shares of Scout24 Holding from Deutsche Telekom for 1.5B Eur.
by Leif Pelikan
See full article at WUV.de
See all posts on FriendScout24
See all posts on Match
See all posts on Neu.de
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
NY TIMES – July 14 - Match Group has acquired parts of HowAboutWe. The price is unknown, and the deal includes HowAboutWe’s dating and media properties. It does not involve the Couples side of the business. As a result, only a portion of HowAboutWe employees will move to IAC. Other employees will remain with the Couples business, while some have been laid off.
by Mike Isaac
See full article at NY Times
See all posts on HowAboutWe
See all posts on Match
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
GRUENDERSZENE – July 7 – The Scout24 group is considering selling online dating site FriendScout24. According to Scout24's CEO, Greg Ellis, the company wants to focus on its real estate and car business.
by Georg Räth
See full article at GruenderSzene
See all posts on FriendScout24
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
BUSINESS INSIDER – June 27 – The deal has not yet been finalized. It's expected to close on Monday, at which point, a number of HowAboutWe employees may lose their jobs. HowAboutWe and IAC have been in serious deal talks for the past week. It's unclear how much IAC will be paying for HowAboutWe, or if the brand will continue to standalone among the other dating brands in IAC's portfolio.
by Alyson Shontell & Hunter Walter
See full article at Business Insider
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
NY POST – June 24 – Osmium, which owns 14.2% of Spark Networks' stock, was on track to win four of the company’s six board seats and oust management. But Spark Networks has put itself up for sale and is in talks with at least one prospective suitor. The company postponed its annual shareholder meeting in order to focus on the deal. The meeting will be held on Friday, June 28th.
by Kaja Whitehouse
See full article at NY Post
See all posts on Spark Networks
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
VENTURE BEAT – May 2 - Skout has acquired Nixter, a small startup with an app that helps people find nightclubs. Together, they are launching NightLifeGraph.com aimed at helping nightclub promoters sell tickets and manage their guest lists. Skout has been profitable for the past six months and is adding 1.5M new users each month. Skout's users are young urban dwellers looking for something to do and someone to do it with. Nixter was founded in 2008 by two pairs of brothers who were working as nightclub promoters. NightLifeGraph.com is free for nightclubs and makes money by charging consumers: For instance, it tacks a $1.54 surcharge onto a $10 ticket. Location-based advertising could be another source of revenue.
by Dylan Tweney
See full article at Venture Beat
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
THE SCOTSMAN – May 3 – Kestrel Opportunities fund bought 1.4M shares to increase its stake to ~14.5%. The increase in Kestrel’s stake comes after Toscafund recently sold its entire 16% holding in Cupid.
by Perry Gourley
See full article at The Scotsman
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
THE SCOTSMAN – Apr 15 – Toscafund has sold its entire 16% holding (11.2M shares, worth £5.1m) in Cupid. Cupid CEO Phil Gripton said he was not aware of the reason for the share sale. Cupid floated in June 2010, and fell to a £2.8M loss last year.
by Gareth Mackie and Terry Murden
See full article at The Scotsman
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
WIRED – Apr 11 – Could a site that’s just 20 months old with no revenue model to speak of really be worth $5 billion? The answer was no. Shortly after Bloomberg reported the story Sam Yagan, CEO of IAC’s Match Group, told Forbes while he could confirm a deal was made, “this valuation is nowhere near the truth.”
Tinder eliminates the fear of rejection. “Tinder’s really doing something that has been the Holy Grail for online dating: it becomes fun,” says Mark Brooks, a consultant to the Internet dating industry. Match.com, Brooks notes, has reached a point at which it can only really grow through acquisition or by targeting audiences that would never join dating sites to begin with. Tinder users, many of whom would scoff at “real” online dating, are one such audience. “IAC’s not valuing Tinder based on what it’s worth. They’re valuing it based on what they’ll lose if they don’t own it,” says Brooks. “If Tinder can own mobile and own the younger demographic, then IAC is owning the future with Tinder. It’s an international phenomenon.”
by Issie Lapowsky
See full article at Wired
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.