Category: Outlets – Business Insider

Evolving OkCupid in India

Posted on August 11, 2021

Okcupid logo 2021BUSINESS INSIDER – Aug 11 – Virtual dates became an acceptable way of dating. In 2020 OKCupid rolled out its redesign globally called Stacks which is a new matching system that consolidates multiple discovery methods into one, making it even easier to find the type of person users are looking for.

Anukool Kumar is Marketing Director for OkCupid in India: We've seen women discovering their independence and extending that security to choosing relationships that see them as more than just a horoscope or radius of a roti. More women are opening conversations. The new Stacks discovery experience shows matches in a focused, thoughtful way, and gives daters the choice of dating 'online', 'recommended' (a stack of recommendations based on preferences), 'nearby', and 'match %'. Globally, there's been a 30% increase in messages sent. since 2020. OkCupid has 20 sexual orientations, 22 gender options and over 60 identities, making it truly inclusive.

by Samarpita Banerjee
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Canadian Relationship App Couply Won Collision 2021 Pitch Competition

Posted on June 30, 2021

Couply logoBUSINESS INSIDER – June 30 – The Canadian relationship app Couply won the 2021 pitch competition hosted by Collision, a Toronto-based technology conference attended by thousands of industry giants. Founded by Tim Johnson and Denesh Raymond, Couply is a free relationship app designed to inspire couples to deepen their connection with fun features like personality quizzes, which then help aid the process of planning dates that are mutually enjoyable. Since its launch in December of 2020, Couply has grown from a few downloads a day to 1K downloads a week, with its daily download rate doubling each month as a result of word of mouth.

by Sarah Finkel
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Men Are More Likely to Feel Comfortable Dating in the Current COVID-19 Climate

Posted on April 23, 2021

Dinner date1BUSINESS INSIDER – Apr 23 – A Morning Consult poll said 49% of US adults feel safe going on a date right now. Men in the survey felt ten percentage points more comfortable dating at the moment than women. 54% of men in the US said they would feel comfortable dating right now compared to 44% of women who said the same.

by Madison Hall
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The CEO of Hinge Predicts a Relationship Boom This Summer

Posted on April 12, 2021

Hinge justin mcleod 2020-1BUSINESS INSIDER – Apr 12 – Hinge had a surprisingly successful 2020. CEO Justin McLeod expects to see more users looking for long-term relationships. He also thinks quick, preliminary video dates will become a permanent part of dating, post-pandemic. According to Hinge's Q4 2020 results, the company tripled its revenues compared with 2019. Its global downloads rose by 63%. Hinge's growth outstripped Tinder, Badoo, Bumble, Happn, and Plenty of Fish.

by Isobel Asher Hamilton
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Tinder Is Giving out 1K Free COVID-19 Tests to Encourage People to Go on Dates Again

Posted on March 16, 2021

Tinder covid testBUSINESS INSIDER – Mar 16 – Tinder is giving out 1K free COVID-19 tests so that couples can go on a date. Tinder users can claim the testing kits via the app, starting Saturday. Users in the US will be able to reserve two tests directly via the app – one for them, and one for their match.

by Grace Dean
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Bumble Boost Is Getting Revamped

Posted on March 15, 2021

Bumble boostBUSINESS INSIDER – Mar 13 – Bumble Boost is a paid subscription that gives unlimited swiping, swipe undos, and more. The subscription is getting revamped to include even more features, and Bumble is also adding a higher tier, Bumble Premium. Bumble Boost and Premium aren't available to everyone. iPhone users can get Boost and Premium anywhere, but Android users will need to be in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK. Bumble Boost now offers: Backtracking (undo an accidental left swipe); Unlimited 24-hour match extensions (Bumble normally gives users 24 hours to send a message after a match is made before it disappears); Unlimited swipes; One Spotlight a week; Five SuperSwipes per week. Bumble Premium includes: Access to Beeline (a list of everyone who's swiped right on you); Rematches with expired connections; Unlimited access to advanced filters; Travel Mode; Incognito Mode (Your profile will only be visible to users you have swiped right on).

by Melanie Weir
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92M Young Adults in China Live Alone

Posted on March 11, 2021

Chinese singles1INSIDER – Mar 11 – 15M more Chinese singles have opted to live alone over the last 3 years. This phenomenon could hurt China's birth rate, according to a People.cn article. Debate is swirling around whether these singles are doing so by choice, or due to circumstances beyond their control. Chinese news site Dazhong did a poll to find out. 41% of those polled cited the main reason as being "actively choosing to be single, and tiring of useless romantic entanglements." Another 38% said being an "empty nest youth" was also a choice made by those "escaping from the responsibilities of starting a family." 13% said that they were forced to live alone due to "life and economic pressures," while 7% said it was because they were "unable to find true love."

by Cheryl Teh
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Taru Kapoor, Tinder: Word-of-mouth Has Helped us Grow in India

Posted on March 3, 2021

Tinder taru kapoor 2021BUSINESS INSIDER – Mar 2 – According to Statista, dating apps generated $323M in revenues in India in 2020. The Indian market ranks second in the dating apps segment, followed by the US. Since its launch in India in 2o15, Tinder has been able to find a loyal user base in India, and Taru Kapoor, General Manager, India, Tinder feels word-of-mouth has played an important role. "Our focus right now is leading with innovation. The first phase of innovation over the last five years was how it became a norm to find someone online. The second phase which is happening now is actually led by GenZ who have grown up on social Internet. The task is how do we help people have better shared experiences online, how do we entertain them, help them get to know each other better and have a shared context so that those connections become more meaningful and deeper."

by Samarpita Banerjee
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How Match Group Grew to Dominate the Online Dating Market

Posted on February 3, 2021

Match group logo jan 2017BUSINESS INSIDER – Feb 2 – Match Group, which started as one lonely Stanford Business School graduate's attempt to build a less embarrassing way to find love online in the '90s, has turned into a titan that owns nearly every US dating site. Bumble, however, is conspicuously absent from Match's portfolio. Bumble's CEO, ex-Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe Herd, has a toxic history with the online dating group.

History of Match

  • Match Group was founded in Feb 2009 after IAC decided to bundle all dating sites it owned.
  • AC's initial purchase of Match.com dates back to the 1990s. Gary Kremen founded Match.com in 1995; he left in 1996 with just ~$50K.
  • Ticketmaster bought Match.com in 1999 for $50M. Cendant Corporation bought the company a year earlier for $6M.
  • During the 2000s, IAC chairman Barry Diller turned Match.com into one of the most successful online dating companies in the US.
  • Jim Safka, a former ETrade and AT&T executive, took over as Match.com CEO in 2004.
  • Revenue increased 68% between 2003 and 2006, going from $185M to $311M
  • IAC acquired People Media for $80M in July 2009, with a combined 255K subscribers.
  • 2011, Match Group acquired OkCupid for $50M.
  • In January 2012, Hatch Labs, a startup "sandbox" launched by IAC to incubate mobile apps, hired Sean Rad as general manager. Rad worked with developer Joe Muñoz to create the prototype for Tinder. Jonathan Badeen and Chris Gulczynski were hired to help with front-end and design. Whitney Wolfe Herd was hired in May and Justin Mateen was brought in as a contractor. The app was originally called Match Box.
  • August 2012, Match Box was renamed to "Tinder" and launched on Apple's App Store.
  • By April 2013, Tinder officially incorporated, with Rad, Badeen, and Mateen considered the company's cofounders. Rad served as CEO.
  • IAC later purchased another chunk of Tinder for ~$50M.
  • In 2014, Wolfe Herd sued Tinder and IAC for sexual harassment and discrimination.
  • In 2015, acquired POF for $575M, Match Group went public.
  • By 2017, Tinder had merged under the Match Group umbrella.
  • In 2018, Rad and nine other Tinder employees sued IAC, claiming IAC purposely undervalued the startup. The lawsuit sought $2B in damages.
  • 2018, acquisition of Hinge.
  • December 2019, IAC announced it was spinning off its stake in Match Group.
  • Jan 2020, Match Group CEO of 14 years, Mandy Ginsberg, stepped down. Former Tinder COO Shar Dubey took over.

by Avery Hartmans & Allana Akhtar
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Aisle Launches ‘One by Two’ Campaign

Posted on January 19, 2021

BUSINESS INSIDER – Jan 18 – Aisle‘s new campaign, ‘One by Two’, celebrates the Indian-way of romance. The videos explore the first date jitters of a young couple and highlight how sharing is the Indian way of romance. Aisle is an app that connects people of Indian-origin from around the world, who are looking for serious relationships. Over the last two quarters, Aisle saw more downloads than Bumble and became the second most popular dating app in India.

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