BUSINESS INSIDER – Bumble is launching a paid group-dating feature called Plans in New York, allowing small groups of users to meet in person through events organized within the app. Participants pay an RSVP fee, can bring a paying guest, and are later able to match with attendees they connected with. The move follows similar initiatives from Tinder, including Double Date and Events, as major dating platforms increasingly blend online matching with offline social interaction.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Spencer Rascoff said Gen Z finds traditional dating apps intimidating because they feel too structured and “like a job interview.” Speaking during Match Group’s earnings call, he said younger users want low-pressure, more natural ways to meet people. In response, Match Group is adding features focused on real-life interaction. Hinge is testing a “Direct to Date” feature that encourages users to meet immediately after matching, while Tinder has started hosting in-person dating events and added interest-based features like music and astrology modes.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Singles and startups are experimenting with new models that move beyond swiping. In San Francisco, Patricia Tani drew attention by offering a $200 bounty for a curated Valentine’s date, generating hundreds of applications and leading to a real-world match. At the same time, Known uses voice-based AI interviews to gather detailed insights on users and delivers one curated match at a time, aiming to replace large pools of options with smaller, more focused matches.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Spencer Rascoff has reshaped Tinder over the past year, taking over from Faye Iosotaluno. He is reorganizing the company into smaller, flatter teams, and operating it more like a startup. At the same time, Justin McLeod and Hesam Hosseini have exited, with the COO role not being replaced. The shift comes as Match Group faces pressure, with its stock falling from ~$150 to $30 and removal from the S&P 500, while Tinder downloads declined from 61M in 2021 to 48Min 2025. Meanwhile, Hinge is growing and on track to become a billion-dollar business. Rascoff is focusing on Gen Z and pushing new features to reverse Tinder’s slowdown and re-energize the app.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Startup 222, founded by Keyan Kazemian, Danial Hashemi, and Arman Roshannai, is building a different approach to dating by focusing on real-life interactions instead of swiping. It launched in 2021 as a dinner series in LA, matching strangers using AI after personality assessments, then grew into a company, joined Y Combinator, raised capital, moved to New York, and launched an app in 2024. The product matches people into small in-person experiences like dinners or nights out, then collects feedback to improve future matches and sets up follow-up dates if there is mutual interest. It has since expanded beyond first meetings into helping maintain relationships. In 2025, it raised another $10.1M, bringing total funding to $13.7M, and is now investing in tools that drive ongoing real-world connections, not just introductions.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Bumble’s Chief Product Officer Michael Affronti has left the company after a year as part of a leadership restructuring aimed at centralizing product, engineering, and design under one leader. CTO Vivek Sagi now becomes Chief Product and Technology Officer as CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd seeks to refocus the business and return to growth following a difficult year and executive turnover.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Gen Z dating is increasingly driven by financial stability and long-term planning, according to Quincy Yang, CEO of Coffee Meets Bagel. Yang says rising housing and living costs have made the traditional American dream unaffordable without dual incomes, pushing young adults to seek committed, financially stable partners rather than casual hookups. Data from Coffee Meets Bagel’s survey of US users aged 21–35 shows 54% prioritize financial stability and nearly 60% value ambition, reflecting a pragmatic shift toward relationships that support economic security and shared life goals.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Partiful, a party-invite app, has introduced a new feature called Crush that lets users discreetly express romantic interest in people they have met at real-life events. Users can select mutual connections as crushes, and only if the interest is mutual are both parties notified and encouraged to message each other, with a limit of 10 crushes per month. The move reflects a broader trend of non-dating apps evolving into dating-adjacent platforms, as people increasingly use social, professional, and event-based apps to flirt and connect.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Grindr plans to build four new direct-to-consumer businesses by 2028, each targeting $15–30M in revenue (up to $120M total), according to an internal roadmap. After launching ED-meds brand Woodwork in 2025, the company aims to expand into areas like wellness and personal care, while scaling AI across the app beyond existing features. CEO George Arison says these ventures will start small with lean teams, marking a rare move for a dating app to diversify beyond subscriptions.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Two journalists tested four AI matchmaking services – Amata, Facebook Dating, Sitch, and Three Day Rule – to assess whether chatbot-led matching improved dating outcomes. After weeks of interacting with AI matchmakers, reviewing suggested profiles, and going on several dates, the conclusion was that AI added structure and convenience, such as slower matching, automated profiles, and date planning, but did not eliminate dating fatigue or materially improve results. Some dates occurred, mainly through Amata and Sitch, but overall the experience felt like a modified version of traditional dating apps rather than a fundamental change.