FORBES – Aug 8 – Tinder and smartphones killed the stigma of online dating. The app market has fragmented. There were always competing sites, but now Tinder serves as a gateway to niche apps. It gets people in the game. They meet a broad base of users on Tinder, have a strong reaction and seek out the platform that's right for them.
Category: Outlets – Forbes
Chinese LGBTs Economy To Overtake America’s
FORBES – June 23 – China's Communist government doesn't encourage LGBT causes or other social activism. Yet China lacks strong organized religion, so the LGBT community is tacitly accepted as long it don't stand in the way of authority. China's three-year-old pink economy is one-third the size of the more mature American pink economy. China is the world's third largest LGBT market after Europe and the US and worth $300B per year. Pink spending power the U.S. came to $917B in 2015. China's Blued app for LGBT services has 27M users, making it the biggest app of its type worldwide.
Dating.ai Searches Dating Apps For Any Face
Experts Skeptical About ‘STD-Verified’ Dating App NeatClub
Dating App Dil Mil Is Using AI To Help South Asians Find Love
FORBES – May 4 – Dil Mil dating app aims to combine traditional South Asian values with modern technology. It uses AI and predictive analytics. Founded in 2014, Dil Mil offers a middle ground for South Asians who aren't looking for either hookups or arranged marriages. Traditionally, "aunties," either familial or friends of the family, played the role of matchmaker in South Asian countries. But with Dil Mil, the matchmaking process is taking place on the app – kind of like a "virtual" auntie. Dhaliwal and Toor worked together to build the app and website. The duo have raised ~$4M in pre-Series A funding and have been backed by celebrity investors such as 500 Startups, Will Bunker of Match.com and Scott Banister of PayPal.
Grindr Launches LGBTQ Online Magazine Platform ‘Into’
Dating Apps Add £11.5B To British GDP
by Catherine Meredith
See full article at Forbes
Tinder’s Sean Rad On How Technology And AI Will Change Dating
Q&A With CoffeeMeetsBagel Co-Founder Dawoon Kang
Q: What was the inspiration for starting Coffee Meets Bagel?
A: We noticed that dating was a big pain point for a lot of our friends, especially women. We started paying attention to the dating industry and realized there were no dating services that understood women.
Q: What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your startup journey?
A: This is a job where challenges never end. First was starting a tech company with no tech background. Second was getting someone to join an all-sister, first-time entrepreneur team.
Q: What's it like working with 3 sisters who are all cofounders?
A: I feel so lucky to have partners I can fully trust, respect, and share anything with.
Q: You have raised $11.2M in venture funding. What advice can you offer female founders on raising capital?
A: Be smart and selective about who you pitch to. Be persistent. Don't be disappointed or take it personally just because they don't agree with your thesis – move on and find someone who does. Take their advice with grain of salt and use it as a way to hone your next pitch.
Q: What are the next steps for your business?
A: Serving international markets.
Matchmaking Company, The Bevy, Claims 95% Success Rate
FORBES – Feb 9 – Nikki Lewis and Greta Tufvesson are co-founders of The Bevy, an exclusive matchmaking service that started in 2014. Their bi-coastal four-person team has set up shop in New York City and Los Angeles.
Q: What inspired you to start The Bevy?
A: With technology being so ubiquitous, all the mystery in life and relationships had dissipated. We wanted to bring back the face-to-face introduction.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge and the biggest reward of starting The Bevy?
A: The challenge was to grow the business exclusively through word of mouth. The biggest reward is watching your best friends get married.
Q: What advice do you have for other women who hope to start their own businesses?
A: Get a financial professional involved from the beginning. Secondly, understand your definition of success. Thirdly, hire people who are smarter than you.
Q: The Bevy has a 95% success rate. What do you attribute that success rate to?
A: We will never work with a man or woman we wouldn't invite to our own dinner table or set up with our best friend.
Q: What is your advice for someone who is single and hopes to fall in love?
A: Love yourself before you expect anyone else to love you.