Category: Chappy
Bumble Owner Targets Nasdaq IPO To Become World’s Top Matchmaker
BLOOMBERG – Oct 11 – The group behind Bumble is weighing an IPO in the U.S. as part of its plan to become the world's biggest dating business, according to founder Andrey Andreev. "We're now in very deep discussions with banks," including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Andreev said. Andreev, 44, is the majority shareholder of Bumble owner Rimberg International Corp., a holding company that also controls gay-dating app Chappy and London-based Badoo. Andreev, who founded Badoo in 2006, hopes the IPO will help his firm overtake Match Group. Andreev said revenue may be as much as $400M this year, which is less than a third of Match's $1.33B last year. Bumble would be the "umbrella brand" for any IPO, which won't happen before year-end, he said. Badoo invested $10M to help Wolfe Herd start Bumble, giving Andreev's group a stake of ~75%. Today, Bumble has 41M users, more than double from a year ago. "Bumble is going crazy," Andreev said. "Bumble is already in Germany, and it's growing at 500% a month there."
by Sophie Alexander & Benjamin Stupples
See full article at Bloomberg
See all posts on Badoo
See all posts on Bumble
See all posts on Chappy
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
Gay Dating App Chappy Relaunches With ‘Zero Tolerance For Abuse’
GAYSTAR NEWS – Sep 11 – Gay dating and social connection app Chappy has introduced a new design. Previously, users could say whether they were seeking 'Mr Right' or 'Mr Right Now'. 'Cute' and 'Sexy' moods now respectively replace those two options. Ollie Locke (of Made in Chelsea fame), Jack Rogers and Max Cheremkhin originally founded the app. Backing comes from dating app Badoo, with advisory backing from Whitney Wolfe Herd. Last month, Chappy announced Locke and Rogers were stepping down. Succeeding them is Sam Dumas as Global Head of Brand. Chappy says it will now have, 'zero tolerance for abuse or bullying of any kind.' Users reported for violating Chappy's terms and conditions risk a permanent ban from the app.
Andrey Andreev Is A Real Life Cupid With Five Dating Apps To His Name
CELEBRITY NET WORTH – Aug 27 – Russian entrepreneur Andrey Andreev is the king of dating apps. He's the man behind five successful online dating apps – Badoo, Chappy, Huggle, Mamba and Bumble. He was born Andrey Ogandzhantyants in Moscow but changed his name to his mother's maiden name because it was easier to spell. He's always been passionate about technology. He briefly attended the University of Moscow but dropped out at age 18 to move to Spain. In 1995, he founded Virus, an e-commerce site that sold computers and accessories to internet users in Russia. In 1997, he sold it for a few hundred thousand dollars. In 1999, he founded SpyLog, which was software that tracked visitors to websites. It was basically Google Analytics before that lunched in 2005. Andreev left SpyLog in December 2001. In 2002, he built Begun, a contextual ads company. Google almost bought Begun in 2008 for $140M but the deal never went through. Begun still exists, but Andreev left in early 2004. Andreev founded Badoo in Spain in 2006 and launched it in 2009. The company's headquarters are in London and there is a Moscow office. Badoo employs 300 people. Andreev will not disclose Badoo's revenue but said that Match Group is a good comparison for Badoo.
by Amy Lamare
See full article at Celebrity Net Worth
See all posts on Mamba See all posts on Huggle
See all posts on Badoo See all posts on Chappy
See all posts on Bumble
Why Chappy Thinks Its The Best Gay Dating App
Q: How would you describe Chappy?
A: We're a dating app at our core, but represent so much more. We provide an inclusive, kind and respectful network for gay men to form meaningful connections.
Q: Who would you say is your biggest competition in the gay dating space?
A: I truly believe that we stand alone.
Q: What is the purpose of "The Chappy Pledge," and how are you regulating the actions of users?
A: It is our commitment to changing the way people treat each other online.
Q: How would you describe the stigma associated with gay dating apps, and why do you think it is so pervasive?
A: The market is oversaturated with one-sided hookup driven apps. At Chappy we are breaking down the perception that gay men are only looking for one thing. We are certainly fighting against the stigma by recognizing that gay men are looking for more meaningful connections, whatever that may be for the individual.
Q: Where do you see Chappy in the next five years, and how are you looking to get there?
A: This is just the beginning for Chappy. Our main focus right now is on the U.S. market, but we have plans to expand internationally in the near future.
Chappy And Spring Studios Team For New York Pride
WWD – June 21 – Chappy, a dating app for gay men that was founded earlier this year by "Made in Chelsea" actor Ollie Locke and Jack Rogers, is making a bigger push in the U.S. And to increase brand awareness, they've partnered with Spring Place, the collaborative workspace club located in TriBeCa, on a series of events taking place this week during New York City Pride. The events includes an evening of cocktails and conversation cohosted by "Modern Family" actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and "Orange Is the New Black" actress Lea DeLaria.
Creator of Mamba And Badoo Makes Forbes (Russia) Richest List
In 1999 Andreev launched the web analytics service SpyLog, and in 2002, the contextual ad service "Begun". Andreev created the Russian dating service "Mamba" a year later. The service made its first revenues through SMS. In Oct. 2005, with 4.5M members, Finam bought it for $20M, enough to launch Badoo in 2006, a service combining the dating and social networking. At the end of 2017 there were 370M members.
Andreev lived for many years in Spain, and his knowledge of the Spanish mentality helped him promote Badoo in Europe and Latin America. But to conquer more competitive markets in the US and English-speaking countries, this was not enough. In order to enter the American market, Andreev bought Hot Or Not in 2014. He then introduced swiping.
He now launches new companies only if there's a manager able to deal with operations, while he deals with the financing, product support and monetization. Andreev helped Huggle in exchange for a stake, and also in Chappy.
Bumble launched Dec. 2014 and had 100k downloads the first month. The idea of a dating service where women take the initiative turned out to be a godsend for the American market. He invested $10M for a 78.21% stake. Herd became CEO and took a 20% stake. $100M revenue is expected in 2017, and double this year.
"The service is significantly different from Badoo. Guys will go where there are a lot of girls, and are attracted to proactive girls who think in a modern way and are ready to take the first step," explains Mark Brooks about the secret of Bumble's success. Tinder has 50M active users and worth is estimated at $3B. Bumble has 23M users. This year, Herd refused to sell it for $450M to Match Group. In the autumn Match reportedly upped its offer to over $1B. In the past, Andreev was offered to sell Badoo for several hundred million dollars, says Mark Brooks, and now the company, "But it seems to me that Andreev is not ready to retire," the expert concludes.
by Alexandr Baulin & Clare O'Connor
See full article at Forbes
See all posts on Mamba See all posts on Huggle
See all posts on Badoo See all posts on Chappy
See all posts on HotorNot See all posts on Bumble
Online Personals Watch PR Rankings – The Sites That Got The Most Press In 2017
#1 Tinder (123 posts published on OPW last year)
#2 Bumble (48 posts)
#3 eHarmony (42)
#4 Match Group (41)
#5 Match (37)
#6 OKCupid (37)
#7 Grindr (34)
#8 Happn (22)
#9 The League (21)
#10 Matrimony.com (17)
Other companies that did well and got a solid press coverage last year were Hinge, The Meet Group, Zoosk, Hater, Matchpoool and Chappy.
Chappy’s Ollie Locke On The New Rules Of Gay Dating
METRO.CO.UK – Feb 13 – A game-changing gay dating app that launched last year and is now available in London, New York City and LA, Chappy has a lot in common with Bumble so much so that Bumble's founder Whitney Wolfe is one of its backers. Chappy gives users a choice between relationships or hook ups. They've put rules in place so that users' face has to be on every picture, and keywords get flagged whether it be drugs or violence. "Immediately on Grindr and other apps you can send a pic of your dick immediately without speaking – that's not happening on Chappy. First you have to make a match. To be clear we are not against dick pics – we are against unsolicited dic picks," said Locke.
Q&A With Ollie Locke, Co-founder Of Chappy
THE MEMO – Feb 6 – Locke rose to fame as a TV personality after he appeared in the first season of E4's Made in Chelsea, during which he became the first person to come out as bisexual on British TV. Outside of his TV work, Locke wrote the best-selling book Laid in Chelsea, and in 2016 launched gay dating app Chappy along with co-founders Jack Rogers and Max Cheremkhin.
Q: What apps do you use to be more productive?
A: I'm a huge advocate of Slack. It's a great way for me and the team to stay on top of all the various projects we're working on.
Q: What book have you read that has inspired you?
A: I'm currently reading Straight Jacket by Matthew Todd and Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future by Ashlee Vance. Elon is a huge inspiration for me, and Matthew Todd's personal experience helps me further understand the Chappy audience.
Q: What advice would you give for people who are eager to get into your industry?
A: You must have heart and compassion.
Q: What do you think your industry will look like in 10 years?
A: I predict a far more 360° approach to digital dating as dating apps start to really explore building lifestyle brands.