Category: Chappy

9 Dating Apps and Sites That Died

Posted on February 8, 2022

Howaboutwe logo new dec 13MASHABLE – Here are nine dating sites and apps that died. RIP.

  1. Sparked
    Facebook Dating launched in 2019, five years after founder Mark Zuckerberg claimed that Facebook was a better dating site than Tinder. Facebook Dating has thousands of active users, while Tinder has millions. Facebook tried again with Sparked, a video speed dating app that launched last year. Sparked shut down less than a year after its inception.
  2. Chappy
    UK reality star Ollie Locke launched gay dating app Chappy in 2018 with help from Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. Chappy shut down and folded into Bumble just two years later.
  3. Hater
    Hater made waves back in 2017. This app's niche was connecting people through things they despise. App founder Brandon Alper pitched Hater on Shark Tank in 2017 and received $200K from billionaire Mark Cuban, but the following year Hater wasn't making money.
  4. HowAboutWe
    HowAboutWe was an innovative dating app in that singles snagged dates by suggesting activities with each other. HowAboutWe's demise was due to a buyout. Match acquired HowAboutWe in 2014, and the site is no more.
  5. Spoonr
    First called Cuddlr, the app launched in 2014 to help people find platonic cuddle buddies. Cuddlr shut down in 2015 and rebranded as Spoonr months later. Spoonr closed in 2017 with a tweet: "It was fun while it lasted! SPOONR is now closed! Hugs."
  6. Siren
    Siren launched in 2015 by two women of color to "fight the swipe" of dating apps created by men. Instead of swiping, Siren posed daily questions for users to answer and seek potential matches based on whose responses they liked. Siren shuttered in 2017 with a blog post. Co-founders Susie Lee and Katrina Hess claimed that investors didn't complete their payments, and the app ran out of money.
  7. Missed Connections
    Oh, Craigslist Missed Connections. Gone too soon.
  8. Yahoo! Personals
    A site with the same fate as Craigslists' personals, Yahoo! Personals shuttered in 2010 when it merged with Match.
  9. GreatBoyfriends.com and GreatGirlfriends.com
    A two-for-one, GreatBoyfriends and GreatGirlfriends launched in 2002 by then-Elle Magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. GreatBoyfriends and Girlfriends died after wedding site The Knot acquired them in 2005.

by Anna Iovine
See full article at Mashable

The Top Dating Industry News for Feb 18th

Posted on February 18, 2020

Opw tmtOPW – Feb 18 – Gay dating app Chappy shutting down, Facebook Dating Launch in Europe Postponed, Tinder's New Social Features, GDI & Global Love Conference.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker Breaker, Google Podcasts Google Podcasts, Spotify Spotify, Anchor Anchor , Overcast Overcast, Radio Public Radio Public or Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts. Listen to the trailer for the channel.

Gay Dating App Chappy Is Shutting Down

Posted on February 17, 2020

Chappy logo 2019PINK NEWS – Feb 17 – According to the app's website, Chappy's team will join up dating app Bumble. No matches made on Chappy will be carried over to the Bumble. The app recommends users to exchange numbers with any matches they've made using Chappy before it closes down. All matches will be wiped from February 28. Chappy was founded by Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke and Jack Rogers in 2017.

by Josh Milton
See full article at Pink News

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S’More Dating App Doesn’t Rely on Swipes

Posted on December 17, 2019

Smore logoNEW YORK BUSINESS JOURNAL – Dec 17 – New dating app S'More, which stands for "Something More," prioritizes getting to know a person before users see profile photos. Photos start out blurry. The more users engage and chat with each other, the more their profile photos unblur. S'More offers a collage-like feel and can be customized to reflect the personality and priorities of the user. S'More requires photo verification that reduces "catfishing:" and helps prevent underage users. All profiles also feature a publicly visible rating score, based in part on user behavior. Investors liked this unique spin on the dating app model, including Benson Oak Ventures, which led a recent $1.1M seed round. Social Discovery Ventures CEO and Founder Dmitry Volkov also joined the effort, along with investor Joshua Black and SideCar Angels. Aslatei most recently served as managing director of Chappy, Bumble's gay dating app. Before that, he consulted for The Meet Group.

by Anthony Noto
See full article at New York Business Journal

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Chappy Breaks Into the World of Gay Male Dating

Posted on December 2, 2019

Chappy icon 2019AUSTIN MONTHLY – Dec 2 – Created in the same spirit as its sister company Bumble, Chappy is cultivating a welcoming atmosphere that challenges deeply entrenched negative norms between gay men. Similar to Bumble, the app's branding and marketing revolve around empowerment, accountability, acceptance, and kindness. Chappy limits matches to people who are mutually interested in one another, and users need to verify their identities.

by David Leffler
See full article at Austin Monthly

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S’More: a New Dating App That Looks to Suspend Physical Attraction for Something More

Posted on November 13, 2019

Smore logoTECH CRUNCH – Nov 11 – According to former Chappy Managing Director Adam Cohen Aslatei, "something more" is one of the most common pieces of feedback that dating apps get from their users. That's where S'More comes in. S'More was founded by Aslatei to provide a dating app to users that goes beyond superficial looks. Rather than scrolling through a feed and swiping left and right, users are served five profiles each day. User profiles on S'More consist of icons, rather than pictures and text, which reveal characteristics about the profile's owner. The company plans to generate revenue through a freemium model. S'More is now launching in beta in Boston and the D.C. area with plans to launch in New York soon.

by Jordan Crook
See full article at Tech Crunch

OPW Podcast – The Top Dating Industry News for Nov 12th

Posted on November 12, 2019

Opw tmtOPW – Nov 12 – Match Results, Magic Lab Acquisition, The Meet Group, Facebook & Tinder whitelisting.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker, Google podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.

Andrey Andreev Sells Stake of Bumble’s Parent Company MagicLab to Blackstone

Posted on November 9, 2019

Magic lab logo with brandsTECH CRUNCH – Nov 9 – Andrey Andreev, the founder of Badoo, is selling his entire stake in MagicLab, the company that owned both Bumble and Badoo (and other dating apps), to Blackstone, which is one of the world's leading investment firms. He will step away from the business in the process, and Wolfe Herd, Bumble's founder, becomes the CEO of the whole company, retaining much of her stake in the business. That stake is at ~19%. The deal values MagicLab at $3B. Blackstone also will be making an investment in the company as part of the deal.

by Ingrid Lunden
See full article at Tech Crunch

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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Bumble Founder Gets £4M Dividend Ahead of Potential Float

Posted on October 7, 2019

Bumble whitneyheadshotTELEGRAPH.CO.UK – Oct 6 – Bumble CEO & founder Whitney Wolfe Herd enjoyed a £4M dividend ahead of a possible float for the firm's parent company. Badoo is the UK-headquartered majority owner of Bumble, which also controls gay dating app Chappy and over 50s app Lumen. Wolfe Herd owns ~20% of Bumble. According to UK accounts for Badoo, Bumble now makes up 48% of the business, making it the crown jewel in Mr Andreev's dating empire. Andreev snapped up a 79%c stake in Bumble and has bankrolled founder Ms Wolfe Herd, creating a rival to Tinder. Badoo has been rumoured to be preparing for a US listing itself, with its Bumble asset valued on its own at north of $1B.

by Matthew Field
See full article at Telegraph.co.uk

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Gay Dating App to Launch a Friend Mode

Posted on September 3, 2019

Chappy friend modeTHE LONDON FREE PRESS – Sep 3 – Chappy, a dating app for gay men, will be launching Friend Mode, a new platonic connection feature that allows users to connect for friendship. A Swedish study of ~13,600 men and women found that having few or no close friends increased the risk of having a first-time heart attack by ~50%.

by Simone Paget
See full article at The London Free Press

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