BUSINESS INSIDER – Michelle Parsons, a former Hinge executive and co-founder of queer social app Lex, has launched Lora, a social astrology app backed by pre-seed investor AlleyCorp. Its AI chatbot uses birth charts to offer advice on relationships and personal development, while users can also book human astrologers, tarot readers, and coaches. Parsons said the aim is to help users recognise patterns in their lives rather than simply give them the answers they want to hear.
BBC – Dating apps are evolving to meet changing user habits. Breeze skips pre-date chat, auto-books dates at partner venues, and uses upfront payments to reduce no-shows. A brief chat window before and after the date allows for coordination and closure. Tinder recently launched a double-date feature, letting friends create joint profiles. Hinge introduced Hinge X, a £24.99/week premium tier offering features like priority likes and access to preferred match types. Meanwhile, niche apps like Feeld, Fourplay, Lex, and Raya continue to expand. These changes reflect a clear shift toward simpler, faster, and more structured dating experiences.
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GLOBAL VENTURING – Best Nights VC, Mast-Jägermeister's venture arm, targets startups that bridge the gap between online interactions and real-world connections. Their portfolio includes Thursday, a dating app that operates exclusively on Thursdays to encourage real-life meetups and other social platforms like Lex and 222 that foster meaningful in-person interactions.
by Fernando Moncada Rivera
See full article at Global Venturing
TECH CRUNCH – Lex, a social and dating app for the LGBTQ+ community, has been acquired by 9count, a mobile app conglomerate led by former Musical.ly CEO Alex Hofmann. Founded in 2019 by Kell Rakowski, Lex originated from a popular Instagram page and focuses on providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ users. The acquisition will allow Lex to roll out new features faster and enhance content moderation. 9count, known for apps like Wink, aims to build niche social networks for specific communities rather than large-scale platforms. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
by Amanda Silberling
See full article at Tech Crunch
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TECH CRUNCH – Lex, an app inspired by vintage lesbian personals, has secured $5.6M in seed funding. The app's co-founder, Jennifer Lewis, has been promoted from COO to CEO, while the founding CEO, Kel Rakowski, becomes the chief creative officer. Michelle Parsons, previously from Hinge, has been appointed as the chief product officer. The app is popular among the LGBTQIA+ community in major cities like New York and LA, offering a platform for various social interactions beyond just dating. Recently, the app underwent a redesign emphasizing community over just hookups. The new funds will be used for expansion. Their monetization strategy will differ significantly from major platforms like Facebook or TikTok, emphasizing in-person meet-ups over prolonged app usage.
by Harri Weber
See full article at Tech Crunch
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TECH CRUNCH – Lex, the hookup and social app that launched in 2019 with a nod to lesbian personal ads from the '80s, wants to change the look and direction. Come users fear that Lex will scrub away its beloved raunchy essence. The text-based service grew over the past few years into a queer community – a place for women, trans, genderqueer and nonbinary people to announce meetups, find concert tickets, share poetry, crack in-jokes or simply cruise. Lex publicized its redesign on January 26, emphasizing its role in helping people find "LGBTQ+ friends & queer community." A press release laid out the app's evolution "from a dating app to a vibrant social platform," while an Instagram post from the company highlighted a shift from personal ads toward group chats and meetups.
BBC – In the US, ~1.2M LGBTQ adults identify as non-binary, according to a 2021 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Identifying as non-binary means, simply, not defining one's gender within the male versus female binary. While many dating apps allow users to identify as non-binary, their profiles still get lumped in with men or women when it comes to how other users of the app can view them. Users on Bumble can choose who they'd like to be seen by on the app, like if they want to be seen by "women, men, non-binary people, a selection of two options, or everyone". Then there are dating apps such as Lex, which primarily target users who identify as "queer, trans, gender non-conforming, two spirit, and non-binary".
STARTUPS MAGAZINE –
TECH REPUBLIC – Feb 10 – 21 of the 24 dating apps examined were tagged with the "*Privacy Not Included" warning label, noting that apps like Grindr are a "privacy and security nightmare." Mozilla researchers dug deep into the privacy policies and security practices of dating sites, pressing companies with questions like "Can this app or product snoop on me? What data is being collected and who is it shared with? What is the company's track record for protecting users' data? And, What could happen if something goes wrong?" Grindr continues to share other user data, like location, with third parties. Plenty of Fish is also mandating information like users' vehicle ownership and their parents' marital status," the study noted. Lex, built for the lesbian, queer, trans, and non-binary community, collects minimal data, and doesn't share it for marketing purposes. Further, their privacy policy is crystal clear. eHarmony is another app that respects users' privacy and security.
by Jonathan Greig
See full article at Tech Republic
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FORBES – Oct 27 – VCs now take their pitches over a safely-distanced Zoom call. But VC funding for female founders has dropped to a three-year low. Firms invested ~$434M in Q3, the lowest figure since the Q2 of 2017, according to PitchBook data. The Q2 total also amounts to a 48% drop in funding from Q2, when female founders received $841M across 132 deals. There are VC firms that focus exclusively on female founders, such as Female Founders Fund (FFF). Founded in 2014, the NYC-based firm has raised two funds to date (~$6M and ~$25M) and counts 40+ companies in its portfolio. One deal FFF closed during the lockdown is Lex, a text-based social app for queer, non-binary and trans communities. Other investors that joined in alongside FFF include Peanut's Michelle Kennedy and the Bumble Fund. Through her app, Lex founder Kell Rakowski is reframing the dating experience from a visual-based to a text-based experience, bringing back old-school personal ads to social media. The current version of Lex has zero photos and no swiping. The NYC-based startup recently closed its seed round of $1.5M, which was led by FFF.