Category: Outlets – Tech Crunch

Jigsaw Scores $3.7M

Posted on February 15, 2021

Jigsaw logo1TECH CRUNCH – Feb 15 – Jigsaw, an "anti-superficial" dating app, scored £2.7M ($3.7M) in seed funding to put toward U.S. expansion. The round is led by a lead generation company for online dating companies, called The Relationship Corp., with backing from angel investors in the U.S. and U.K. primarily in the tech sector. The app puts a digital jigsaw over the faces of users, with pieces removed gradually the more they interact – and the full face only revealed after a pre-set amount of in-app engagement. The app launched in London in 2019; and opened up to the U.S. in November last year. Jigsaw has ~150K+ registered users across those two markets at this point, with 50K in the U.S.

by Natasha Lomas
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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Top 100 Subscription Apps Grew 34% to $13B in 2020

Posted on February 14, 2021

TECH CRUNCH – Feb 12 – Apps saw record downloads and consumer spending in 2020, globally reaching ~$111B to $112B. But a growing part of that spend was subscription payments, a new report from Sensor Tower indicates. Last year, global subscription app revenue from the top 100 subscription apps (excluding games), climbed 34% YOY to $13B, up from $9.7B in 2019. There are some signs that subscription revenue growth may be hitting a peak. Some of the slowdown and otherwise flat growth can be attributed to larger apps, like Netflix and Tinder, which have found ways to workaround the app stores' in-app purchases requirements.

Screenshot_2021-02-13 top-grossing-subscription-apps-us-2020 png (WEBP obrázek 1536 × 915 bodů) - Měřítko (60 %)
by Sarah Perez
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S’More Is Heading to Hollywood

Posted on January 27, 2021

Smore heading to hollywoodTECH CRUNCH – Jan 27 – S'More has signed a production deal with producers Elvia Van Es Oliva and Jack Tarantino, who have worked on shows like "90 Day Fiancé." CEO Cohen-Aslatei said the startup will work with them to create "anti-superficial" dating content for digital platforms and TV networks. This deal builds on the success of S'More Live, the startup's celebrity dating show on Instagram Live, which has aired 60 episodes so far.

by Anthony Ha
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Bumble Files to Go Public

Posted on January 15, 2021

Bumble screenshot 2020TECH CRUNCH – Jan 15 – Bumble plans to list its share on the Nasdaq stock exchange, using the ticker symbol "BMBL." Bumble's planned IPO was first reported in December. You can read its IPO filing here. Bumble claims 42M monthly active users as of Q3 2020 with 2.4M paying users. The company reports revenue of $417M in the first 9 months of 2020 and net income of (-$117M). If you extrapolate Bumble's Q1, Q2, and Q3 revenue to a full-year number, the company could manage $555.5M in 2020 revenues. However, its sharp unprofitability in 2020 could damper its eventual valuation.

by Alex Wilhelm
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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

App Stores to See 130B Downloads in 2020

Posted on December 10, 2020

Appstore picTECH CRUNCH – Dec 10 – Consumers will download 130B apps in 2020 across iOS and Google Play, up 10% YOY, according to App Annie's year-end forecast. Consumer spending across the two app stores will also grow by 25% YOY to reach $112B by year end. Google Play downloads in 2020 outnumbered iOS downloads by 160%, but both stores saw 10% growth. Top markets for consumer spend on iOS included the U.S., Japan and the U.K., which is a different list than in 2018 and 2019, when the list included the U.S., China and Japan. Top markets for Google Play were the U.S., South Korea and Germany. Despite a lockdown, Tinder made it to No.1 in terms of consumer spend.

by Sarah Perez
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Tinder to Make It Easier to Report Users

Posted on December 7, 2020

Tinder matchesTECH CRUNCH – Dec 7 – Last month, Bumble introduced a new feature that would prevent bad actors from using the dating app's "unmatch" feature to hide from victims. Now Tinder has done something similar. The company will soon roll out an update to its app that will make it easier for users to report someone who has used the unmatch feature in an effort to get away with their abuse. Tinder notes that users have always been able to report anyone on the app at any time – even if the person had used the unmatch feature. But few users likely knew how to do so. With the update, Tinder will soon add its "Safety Center" shield icon within the Match List, where the chats take place. This will direct users to the Safety Center in the app, where they can learn how to report users who aren't displayed on the Match List because they used the unmatch feature.

by Sarah Perez
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Yubo, Tinder for Youngsters, Raised $47.5M

Posted on November 18, 2020

Yubo logo 2019TECH CRUNCH – Nov 18 – French startup Yubo, which focuses on young people under 25, has managed to attract 40M users. A fraction of them hang out every day in live-streaming rooms, meet new people and spend money for more features. Yubo expects to double its revenue this year to $20M. The app has recently closed a Series C funding round of $47.5M (previously raised $19.5M) With this funding round, Yubo will expand its team. There are currently 30 employees in Paris, London and Jacksonville. Yubo will open an office in New York.

by Romain Dillet
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This post also appears on Very Social Network and Internet Dating Investments

Bumble’s Changes Its “Unmatch” Feature

Posted on November 11, 2020

Bumble unmatchTECH CRUNCH – Nov 10 – Bumble is changing how its "unmatch" feature works in an effort to better prioritize user safety. The change will make it more difficult for a harasser to use the app's unmatch feature in order to avoid having their conversation reported to Bumble's safety team. Before, when either side of a match opted to unmatch the other, the conversation simply would disappear. This, however, could be used by a bad actor to leave a conversation before the victim of their harassment had a chance to report them. The change follows a high-profile story about the dangers with using dating apps, specifically Tinder. As a result of the story, Tinder was updating its reporting mechanism to respond to users in-app or on email and direct them to crisis counseling and survivor support. But Tinder hadn't addressed the key issues with the unmatch feature.

by Sarah Perez
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Europe Urges E-commerce and Media Platforms to Share Data

Posted on November 10, 2020

Amazon logoTECH CRUNCH – Nov 6 – European lawmakers are pressing major e-commerce and media platforms to share more data with each other as a tool to fight rogue traders who are targeting consumers with coronavirus scams. Didier Reynders, the EU commissioner for justice, met with 11 online platforms, including Amazon, Alibaba/AliExpress, eBay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft/Bing, Rakuten and Verizon Media/Yahoo, to discuss new trends and business practices linked to the pandemic and push the tech companies to do more to head off a new wave of COVID-19 scams. Next month regional lawmakers are set to unveil the Digital Services Act which will require platforms to take more responsibility for dealing with illegal content and dangerous products; and the Digital Markets Act which will require platforms considered to hold a dominant market position to make data available to rivals, with the aim of fostering competition in digital markets.

by Natasha Lomas
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This post also appears on Very Social Network

Tinder’s Opt-in Video Chat Feature Is Rolling out Globally

Posted on October 27, 2020

Tinder face to faceTECH CRUNCH – Oct 27 – Face to Face, an opt-in-only feature that Tinder launched earlier this year that lets users video chat with each other without exchanging personal information and only when they're facing the cam, is now expanding globally. Both parties need to be opted into the feature, and they have to be matched before a video chat can be initiated.

by Ingrid Lunden
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