Category: Lumen

Lumen, Dating App for 50+ Has Attracted 1.5M Users

Posted on January 2, 2020

Lumen logoBBC NEWS – Jan 1 – Charly Lester founded dating app Lumen in London in 2018, believing she had spotted a gap in the market. She knew lots of people in their 50s and 60s who were just as phone-fixated as the younger generation. Her app has attracted ~1.5M users in less than a year. It's free to join, but the company makes money by charging users for "premium" features. These include the ability to search potential partners with "advanced filters" and the chance to see who has saved you as a "favourite". More established companies also cater for mature daters, like OurTime and Silver Singles. They began as website platforms but have now developed apps. OurTime says it has seen a 146% increase in active users in the past two years, with 63% of joiners registering by mobile.

by Dougal Shaw
See full article at BBC News

See all posts on Lumen
See all posts on OurTime
See all posts on SilverSingles

OPW Podcast – The Top Dating Industry News for Dec 10th

Posted on December 10, 2019

Opw tmtOPW – Dec 10 – IDEA SUMMIT, Social Safety Badge, Pheramor shuttered, Gleeden not illegal, Lumen ads banned

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 or Stitcher.

Dating App Ad Starring Ulrika Jonsson Banned for Objectifying Women

Posted on December 4, 2019

Lumen ulrika jonssonCITYAM – Dec 4 – Lumen Ad starring Swedish TV personality Ulrika Jonsson has been banned over concerns it was offensive and objectified women. The Christmas campaign showed 52-year-old Jonsson in a red nightie and stockings, and was accompanied by the tagline "Be my stocking filler". Lumen submitted the ad to Transport for London's (TfL) advertising agent Global, but it was rejected.

by James Warrington
See full article at CityAM

See all posts on Lumen

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

See all posts on Badoo  
See all posts on Bumble

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Charly Lester, The Founder of Lumen Shares Her Secrets

Posted on October 23, 2019

Lumen charly lester likedin 2019BBC – Oct 23 – Entrepreneur Charly Lester launched a dating app for the over-50s. "Quite often I get asked why I am doing this when I am in my thirties, but you don't need to be in the target audience to understand what they need and launch a solution", she says.

by Dougal Shaw
See full article at BBC

See all posts on Lumen

Micro-dating: Trend for Short and Sweet Meet-ups

Posted on October 21, 2019

MicrodatingDAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Oct 21 – Micro-dating is a trend that has become particularly popular with over-40s whose busy lives and multiple commitments leave conventional dating a near impossibility. Meet-ups are limited to 15 to 45 minutes only, and certainly never go over an hour. An ideal micro-date is going out for a coffee or a quick glass of wine after work. While it's a great concept for busy people, is micro-dating really the way to find a partner? Charly Lester, co-founder of Lumen, the dating app for over-50s, thinks not. "Over-50s who haven't dated for a while are often extremely nervous. It can take 30 minutes just to relax. So you don't get the full measure of someone on such a short date. Also, coffee is a rubbish first date! You don't have any distractions, and the face-to-face nature can feel really formal and awkward."

by Giulia Crouch
See full article at DailyMail.co.uk

See all posts on Lumen

Lumen Is the Dating App Solution for the Over-50 Crowd

Posted on October 15, 2019

Lumen logoFORBES – Oct 14 – Lumen is a Tinder-like dating app aimed at the over-50 demographic. Lumen users are able to start a limited number of conversations every day, in order to cut down on spammy behavior. Messages also disappear after 72 hours if there is no reply. This puts the focus on quality conversation. Every user must have at least one image of themselves and upon sign-up every user is photo-verified. The minimum icebreaker message must be at least 50 characters. The average user age is 56. The gender ratio is ~50/50. There is also a premium version that allows for more conversations per day and seeing which members have saved the user as a favorite and enhanced search.

by Curtis Silver
See full article at Forbes

See all posts on Lumen

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

See all posts on Badoo           See all posts on Chappy
See all posts on Bumble         See all posts on Lumen

Lumen Ads: 50 Is Just a New Start

Posted on September 23, 2019

Lumen ad sep 2019OPW – Sep 23 – With its latest ads, dating app Lumen wants to show the world that being over 50 doesn't mean people can't be sexy and have fun. The ad is featuring 8 British over 50s, living their best lives. Lumen is a dating platform for over 50s. It was launched in September 2018 and provides a safe and age-appropriate environment for older men and women.

See all posts on Lumen