MID-DAY – Launched in June 2020, 'As You Are' is among India's only social applications for the LGBTQIA+ community. Created by Sunali Aggarwal, a UX designer, the app began as a matchmaking app. The main focus was to provide the Indian LGBTQIA+ community a safe space to be themselves. A key differentiator setting apart 'As You Are' is its manual verification of profiles. Besides matchmaking, users can try new features like 'Group Chat' and 'WE, As You Are Community' to connect with other queer users. The app also doesn't pressure people to post their photos. Early on, 'As You Are' saw a lot of growth. Within nine months of the launch, the app reached 10K users. Currently, the app claims ~65k downloads and ~32k active users.
Category: All Gay
Tinder’s ‘LetsTalkGender.in’ to Encourage Conversations on Non-binary Relationships
MID-DAY – In a bid to encourage conversations about non-binary relationships, Tinder launches LetsTalkGender.in, a guide and dictionary developed in collaboration with Gaysi Family, a media platform and safe zone for queers. LetsTalkGender.in discusses what the binary is, why it is restricting, the necessity and use of pronouns, and what a partner's queerness implies for someone dating them.
BlueCity Promotes Junchen Sun to CFO
GLOBE NEWSWIRE – BlueCity, a leading online LGBTQ platform, has promoted Mr. Junchen Sun, to CFO, effective May 19, 2022. Mr. Sun joined BlueCity in February 2017 and served as the acting CFO of the Company since May 2021.
Grindr to Go Public in $2.1B SPAC Deal
REUTERS – Grindr will go public through a merger with a blank-check acquisition firm – a deal that values it at $2.1B and features Tiga Investments CEO Raymond Zage on both sides of the transaction. Grindr said its existing shareholders would own 78% of the company after the merger, which comes two years after China's Kunlun Tech divested it for $620M due to U.S. national security concerns. While Grindr did not disclose the identities of its existing shareholders, Reuters previously reported that Zage had a 41% stake in the consortium that acquired Grindr. Zage continues to be an investor in Grindr. Tiga Acquisition, the Singapore-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that will merge with Grindr, is controlled by Zage. Under the deal, Grindr will receive $284M in cash from Tiga and up to $100M in a forward purchase agreement.
Q&A With BlueCity CRO Liang Zhao
PANDAILY – On April 25, BlueCity was named a winner in the World Health Organization's (WHO) first-ever Western Pacific Innovation Challenge: Innovation for the Future of Public Health. The firm won the accolade for its Internet+ HIV interventions on Blued, a world-leading online LGBTQ+ community platform connecting ~60M users.
Q: BlueCity was among the first to introduce the concept of Internet+ HIV prevention in China. Could you describe how this works?
Zhao: For HIV prevention to be effective, it must be convenient, discreet, and timely. Users can directly make appointments with ~200 testing centers in over 30 cities, and we are working to broaden this service outside of China.
Q: How do your PrEP and PEP services work?
Zhao: We provide access to HIV screening, pre-exposure prophylaxis ("PrEP"), and post-exposure prophylaxis ("PEP") solutions. Users can order such medications in major Chinese cities. We also offer express delivery of PEP medication.
Q: We know privacy and data security is a critical issue for internet companies. What does it mean for BlueCity and your LGBTQ users?
Zhao: Privacy is non-negotiable, and protecting user privacy is central to our mission. We prohibit users from taking a screenshot or recording a video while using the app. We have an anti-fraud team, and we carry out regular online safety campaigns to raise awareness.
BlueCity Agrees to Go Private
GLOBENEWSWIRE – BlueCity, a leading online LGBTQ platform, has entered into a merger agreement with Multelements Limited ("Parent"), Diversefuture Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent, pursuant to which the company will be acquired in an all-cash transaction, implying an equity value of the company of ~$60M for all of the company's outstanding ordinary shares. The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2022.
Watch the Trailer for Grindr’s 1st Original Comedy Series Bridesman
OUT – Gay dating app Grindr is launching its first original comedy series this April, and the official trailer just dropped. Bridesman will be six episodes long and follows a “gay and awful” man named Terry as he is “forced to fulfill bridesmaid duties for his best friend despite his disdain for the construct of marriage and an electric sexual connection with the groom.”
Hornet Ceases Monetization in Russia, While Remaining Available
HORNET – Hornet, the world's queer social network with 35m users, will continue serving queer users in Russia, while ceasing all monetization through advertising and subscriptions (resulting in a 7-figure impact on revenue). Hornet is the largest queer app in both Russia and Ukraine, and is one of very few ways for queer people in both countries to connect to their community amidst increasing anti-LGBTQ sentiment in militarized and authoritarian environments.
See full article at Hornet website
This post also appears on Very Social Network
Grindr Introduces Albums, a New Way to Share Private Content
GRINDR BLOG – Albums are the easiest way to share photos with other users on Grindr. In the last year there's been a 113% increase in the number of times users send multiple photos and a 72% increase in the number of expiring photos sent. Grindr learned that users want more authority over the photos they share on the app. They want to be able to share multiple photos with one click, and to revoke access just as easily.
Meet the Woman Behind India’s First LGBTQIA+ Dating App
TELEGRAPH INDIA – As You Are is helping the online dating scene in India become more inclusive and queer-friendly. The app was launched by Sunali Aggarwal. "I had always observed this problem with the community where people could not find each other mostly because everybody was closeted. Even with the decriminalisation of Section 377 in 2018, the problem persisted. And that is what triggered this idea of creating a space that is safe for the community to interact with each other," recollects Sunali. As You Are was successfully launched in 2020 and currently boasts 25K downloads and 2K active users. A key differentiator between As You Are and other apps was our process of verification, where people submitted their selfies with some basic information and were manually verified.