POSTMEDIA NEWS – Aug 26 – Lumen, a dating app for the 50-plus crowd, is a runaway success. The app launched in the UK last fall by co-founders Antoine Argouges (ex-Bumble) and Charly Lester, and has 1.2M users worldwide. The app uses AI to ensure users are who they claim to be (promising 100% photo verification); the opening salvo has to be longer than 50 characters. "Working for Lumen has made me realize how 'old' people think 50 is, and how untrue that perception is," said Charly Lester. "When someone pictures a 50-year-old in their head, most of the time the image they are thinking of is a 70-year-old. We need to shake up these perceptions because they are wrong, and damaging."
Category: Lumen
Lumen, Dating App for 50+, Promises to Protect Its Users From Scams
FOX5 – Aug 3 – In the dating world, those over 50 are top target for scammers. That's why Lumen, the dating app for users 50+, is using AI to protect users, making sure people are who they say they are.
How I Succeeded: Lumen’s Charly Lester
LIFEHACKER – July 20 – Charly Lester is the co-Founder and CMO of Lumen, the dating app exclusively for over 50s.
One word that best describes how you work: Multi-tasker
What apps/software/tools can't you live without?
Slack, Trello, Whatsapp, Later, Strava and Audible.
What social network do you find the most useful?
Instagram, although not for Lumen; most over 50s predominantly use Facebook.
What were the most important lessons you learned while growing your business?
– Failure is personal. No one else knows you or your business the way you do. A failure only becomes a failure when you decide to treat it that way.
– You can't do everything yourself. Work out what you aren't as skilled at or what you don't enjoy, and outsource those tasks to someone else.
– Relationships are key. Always trying to use contractors who I know and trust.
What has been the most surprising part of your business journey?
Working in dating was certainly a surprise! I was originally working in banking and wrote a Facebook status which suggested spending the final three months of my twenties going on 30 blind dates. To my surprise, the blog went viral, and was picked up by The Guardian. I went on to become the Dating Editor of The Guardian, followed by global Head of Dating at Time Out.
What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?
Time management and work-life balance.
Lumen, Dating App for People 50+ Has a Game-Changing Feature
YAHOO LIFESTYLE – July 12 – On Lumen, only those who are 50 or older are allowed to join. It also requires users to upload a selfie in order to verify their identity – a unique feature that reduces the risk of catfishing. Users have to upload at least three photos. There's also a minimum character length for the messages and a limit to how many matches users can contact, so people can't just spam hundreds of users without reading their profiles. They only have 72 hours to respond to someone's message.
Lumen CMO Strives to Make the Brand Synonymous With Anti-ageism
CMO.COM.AU – July 4 – Gaining brand synonymity with anti-ageism is the big ambition for co-founder and CMO of Lumen, a dating app for the over 50s market. This week, Lumen launched its first TV commercial in Australia, featuring the over 50s Atlanta-based dance troupe, Silver Classix Crew, performing a Tron dance in LED suits. Prior to the TVC, Lumen has been investing largely in billboard advertising, Facebook advertising and PR, taking both a risqué and humour-based approach in its messaging.
Bumble Now Lets Users Call Their Matches Without Exchanging Numbers
Over 50s Dating App Lumen Unveils First Australian Campaign
Bumble Owner, Facing off With Tinder, Boosts Spending
by Parmy Olson
See full article at Wall Street Journal
See all posts on Bumble
See all posts on Chappy
See all posts on Lumen
Dating App Lumen Fights Ageism in International Campaign
CAMPAIGNLIVE – June 12 – Lumen, the dating app for those 50 years and older, has unveiled an international campaign to tell consumers: "50 is Just the Start." For the effort, Lumen partnered with The Silver Classix Crew, Atlanta's official 50+ dance team, which has performed at professional sports events, on TV and in commercials and music videos.
Lumen: the Dating App for Singles Over 50
YAHOO NEWS – June 6 - Lumen co-founder Charly Lester talks about her dating app for singles who are over 50 years old. The app uses AI to check new users' age and identity. They are also required to take a selfie. Charly Lester was inspired to launch Lumen because many people were asking her what dating app their divorced parents could use and she did not have the answer.
by Zack Guzman & Kristin Myers
See full article at Yahoo News