BBC – July 18 – In India, people with disabilities are often invisible in day-to-day life, despite numbering tens of millions. The country is notoriously disability-unfriendly, in terms of infrastructure, attitudes and policy. Many families who have children with disabilities rarely take them out in public, as it is seen as a source of stigma and shame. Dating app Inclov gives people with disabilities more opportunities to socialise. The idea for Inclov was born after Shankar Srinivasan and Kalyani Khona decided they wanted to "do something in the matchmaking space" and realised very quickly that no-one was thinking about people with disabilities. They began with an "offline" agency called Wanted Umbrella which evolved into a static site and then a mobile app. They raised money through a crowdfunding campaign where they were able to raise 615k rupees (£6,976; $8,998) to hire an app developer. They have carried out ~50 other events in cities across India, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur. The last event had ~50 people in attendance.
Category: Inclov
Inclov: World’s First Match-Making App For The Differently Abled
NEWS18 – Feb 28 – Founded by Kalyani Khona and Shankar Srinivasan in 2016, Inclov is the world's first dating app for the differently abled and people with health disorders. Inclov later expanded its user base to include people without disabilities to become an inclusive app. Inclov plans to reach out to a global audience and will be launched in Australia by the end of this year.
Indian Dating App Inclov Is Helping Disabled People To Find Their Love Match
FORBES – Nov 1 – Launched in 2016, the app, which has ~19k registered users, has so far helped ~6k disabled people to meet their spouses. "Our algorithm matches on the basis of someone's level of dependence, cure availability, medications and therapy for their disabilities," says Inclov's co-founder Kalyani Khona. It's not surprising that Inclov has found resonance in a country where 59% women and 48% men refuse to marry anyone with a physical disability, and disabled people are considered ineligible to marry those without disabilities unless "adjusted" by high dowry. In September, Inclov, which plans to expand to other countries in coming years, raised an undisclosed amount in its pre-Series A funding round from a clutch of investors.
Matchmaking App Inclov Raises Pre-Series A Funding
VCCIRCLE – Sep 26 – Inclov, the matchmaking agency for disabled people, has raised an undisclosed amount in its pre-Series A funding round from a clutch of investors. The investors who participated in this round include Rajan Anandan, managing director and India head, Google; Jamil Khatri and Ravi Iyer, angel investors; Debjani Ghosh, former MD of Intel South Asia; and existing investor Raghav Bahl, founder of Network 18 and Quintillion Media. The company had previously raised Rs 1 crore (~$149k) in a seed round of funding.
by Disha Sharma
See full article at VCCircle
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
Matchmaking App Inclov Raised $149k
TECH CIRCLE – Aug 30 – Indian dating app Inclov has raised Rs 1 crore (~$149k) in a seed round of funding. The startup aims to use the funds for redesigning the Android app and launching the iOS version. It also aims to go global with the app. Inclov focuses on people with disability and health disorders to find love.
by Disha Sharma & Nishant Sharma
See full article at Tech Circle
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.