Category: Outlets – Mashable

Is On-Demand Dating A Tinder Killer

Posted on August 22, 2015

On demand datingMASHABLE – Aug 18 – Clover, Whim, Pure and HowAboutWe's Tonight app offer on-demand functions which cut to the chase so users can aggressively get on each others' calendars. Clover just closed $2M in funding (bringing total investment to $4M). Close behind Clover is upstart Whim, which launched in LA in 2014. Markedly different from Whim and Clover is the unabashedly more hookup-focused Pure, which is so radical and in-the-moment in its "demand" nature, that there are actually no profiles or Facebook integration. Having raised 10 times less investment capital than Clover ($400K versus $4M), Pure is already cash-positive.

by Mandy Stadtmiller
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Sean Rad Is Back As Tinder CEO

Posted on August 13, 2015

Tinder sean rad aug 15MASHABLE – Aug 12 - Tinder is reinstating co-founder Sean Rad as CEO, five months after he was replaced by Chris Payne. Payne, a former eBay and Microsoft executive, is leaving the company, and Greg Blatt will step in as chairman.

by Patrick Kulp
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

Gay Dating Apps Battle For Supremacy In China

Posted on July 21, 2015

China gay weddingMASHABLE – July 21 – "Geng Le," the former policeman, founded one of China’s earliest gay sites. The site, danlan.org, was repeatedly shut down by Chinese government. Every time, he'd move his server to another city and launch again. But the times have changed. Geng's site is now free to cover gay news from around the world. Three years ago, he launched a gay-dating app called Blued, which he claims is the most widely used globally, with 15M users. After receiving $30M in funding last year, Blued launched an English version of the app in Feb and set up offices in the U.S., Thailand and Taiwan. In 2013, a new gay-dating app called Zank appeared. The app has ~8M users, and received $3.2M in private funding last year. Blued and Zank have done well locally but Grindr isn't giving up. Blocked by the Chinese government until June 2011, the app’s user numbers have been steadily climbing ever since.

by Justin Bergman
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

Mashable Message To AshleyMadison: “Forget About IPO, Start Planning To Retire”

Posted on July 21, 2015

Ashley madison on fireMASHABLE – July 21 – For many of Ashley Madison's 37M users, the site's breach could have devastating consequences on their personal lives. AM claims that it has now been able to secure its sites; at this stage, that doesn't really matter. Already, files containing emails and passwords have started to spread online. The attackers claim to have more than just login identities. Their trove purportedly includes profiles and individual messages. Being in the "discreet connection" space means security should have been AM's number one priority. Stu Sjouwerman, the CEO of security awareness platform KnowBe4, said the fact that AM's data was not encrypted "is tantamount to criminal negligence."

by Christina Warren
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

The Internet’s Most Hated Man Is Finally Ready To Take His Company Public

Posted on April 23, 2015

Ashleymadison noel biderman apr 15MASHABLE – Apr 23 – Nearly 15 years ago, Noel Biederman launched AshleyMadison. He intends to raise ~$200M in an IPO in London later this year. The AshleyMadison IPO will likely be a litmus test for how public investors view a service on the fringes of social norms. That is part of the reason the company is choosing London over New York for its IPO. AM pursued an IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2011, but investors gave it the cold shoulder.

Q&A with Noel Biderman
Q: Why go public?
A: I’ve tried to attract world-class talent. By going public, you can attract a whole slew of talent and I think this company is worthy of that magnet effect.

Q: How do you plan to grow your business?
A: There's a huge trillion-dollar economy that gets built on the back of unfaithfulness — the hotel industry, jewelry, flowers. Maybe there's an opportunity to participate one level deeper in that economy. If you’re a public company i think they take your phone call.

Q: How much longer do you really plan to stick with it?
A: I think I am going to be tied to this thing forever.

by Seth Fiegerman
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

Lovebook Creates Targeted Ad Campaign For Singles On Facebook

Posted on February 11, 2015

Lovebook logoMASHABLE – Feb 11 – Lovebook is a new matchmaking service that helps singles find dates by buying targeted Facebook ads for them. The rates range from $15 to $60, it depends on how many people the paying user hopes to reach. After PayPal payment, Lovebook creates a separate Facebook page with three photos and a brief message about what is the user looking for. Lovebook then buys ads targeted to nearby Facebook users with similar interests.

by Karissa Bell
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

Online Dating Predictions For 2015 By Zoosk

Posted on December 23, 2014

MASHABLE – Dec 23 - Zoosk analyzed 4M messages and 430K dating profiles to see what people responded to in 2014, and to predict what's coming in the new year. A full body photo increases messages received by ~203%, on average.Zoosk infographic dec 14
by Laura Vitto
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

Hinge Raises $12 Million

Posted on December 12, 2014

Hinge logo new dec 13MASHABLE – Dec 11 – Mobile startup Hinge has raised $12M in Series A funding. Hinge had previously brought in $8.6M in seed funding and convertible notes. Shasta Ventures led the round, along with previous investors including Lowercase, Great Oaks, Eniac and CAA ventures. The funding will be used to bring the app into more markets. Hinge is currently available in 28 cities, 24 of which were launched in 2014. The company recently brought in former Spotify employee Eric Bogs to heads up its engineering team.

by Jason Abbruzzese
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Summarized by Courtland Brooks Internet Dating Marketing Consulting

OkCupid ‘Satisfied’ With News Of Mozilla CEO’s Resignation

Posted on April 4, 2014

Okcupid firefox picMASHABLE – Apr 3 – Count OkCupid among those celebrating the resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich on Thursday. OKCupid protested Mozilla on Monday by discouraging users to visit its site via Firefox because Brendan Eich is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples.

by Kurt Wagner
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