TECH CRUNCH – Feb 19 – Hinge is undergoing a huge makeover, ditching the swipe mechanic and adding a paid subscription layer to ensure folks who use it are there "for the right reasons". There's no word on when Hinge plans to roll out this new, more expensive version of its app.
Category: Outlets – Tech Crunch
Coffee Meets Bagel Will Help Users Pick Their Best Photos
TECH CRUNCH – Feb 11 – From now on, users can A/B test photos, by uploading two options and letting other users vote on which is best. Coffee Meets Bagel has been polling daters and found that 54% of the time people pass on "bagels," the reason is photo-related.
by Katie Roof
See full article at Tech Crunch
Online Dating Use Jumps Among Youngest US Adults And The Middle Aged
TECH CRUNCH – Feb 11 – In the past two years, use of online dating has surged among the youngest U.S. adults, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. 15% of American adults have used online dating sites and/or mobile dating apps, up from 11% in 2013. The usage of dating sites/apps among 18 to 24 rose from 10% in 2013 to 27% now. Pew also notes a spike in usage among 55-64, with digital dating rates doubled from 6% two years ago to 12% now.
Lulu Acquired By Badoo
TECH CRUNCH – Feb 9 – Lulu, the once controversial mobile app that let women anonymously review and rate men, has been acquired by Badoo. Lulu founder and CEO Alexandra Chong will move back to London from New York to join Badoo as President, where she'll be focusing on international expansion. Terms of the deal remain undisclosed. Lulu had raised $15M. The new Lulu will be powered by Badoo.
by Steve O'Hear
See full article at Tech Crunch
See all posts on Lulu
See all posts on Badoo
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.
Zoosk Drops 1/3 Of Its Staff
TECH CRUNCH – Jan 14 – Despite $61M in funding, Zoosk is laying off 1/3 of its staff. ~40 people will be let go. Founded in 2007, Zoosk found success by building extensions for MySpace, Facebook, Hi5, and Bebo. It reached 40M registered users and 12M actives by 2009. Zoosk made money by selling subscriptions. The dating app ditched its IPO plans in 2014, and its founders stepped down. Former CFO Kelly Steckelberg became CEO. "To operate as a sustainable, profitable and innovative company, we've made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our headcount", she commented.
Dating App Once Integrates With Wearables To Show Heart Rate
TECH CRUNCH – Jan 13 – Once, a dating app with ~600K users, announced an integration with Fitbit and Android Wear. Once lets users see their heart rate when they look at their matches. In the next version of the app, the user will be able to opt-in to a feature that will send their heart rate to their match once it's recorded. When you catch sight of your beloved and your heart starts racing, that's because of an adrenaline rush, said Dr. Reginald Ho, a cardiac electrophysiologist.
Coffee Meets Bagel Adds Its Own Version Of Super Like With ‘Send A Woo’
TECH CRUNCH – Dec 22 – Coffee Meets Bagel launched "Send A Woo", a feature similar to Tinder's Super Like. With "Send A Woo", Coffee Meets Bagel's users can express higher-than-usual interest in a potential match. CMB launched in 2013. The app delivers one match per day. Users then have 24 hours to respond. If both users liked each other, the app would then connect them in a text conversation.
by Jordan Crook
See full article at Tech Crunch
Bumble Dating App For Android Is Out Now
TECH CRUNCH – Dec 9 – Bumble, the dating app where girls have to make the first move, has finally launched its Android version. According to Whitney Wolfe, cofounder and CEO of Bumble, Bumble saw a 65% month-over-month growth, and ~80M matches were made by users.
Tagged Founder Greg Tseng Tags Out After 11 Years As CEO
TECH CRUNCH – Dec 2 – Greg Tseng is stepping down from the CEO role after 11 years running its dating social network Tagged and game studio hi5. He'll remain a board member. The company's new CEO will be its COO Dash Gopinath, who was formerly the Chief Product Officer of Tagged competitor Badoo. Tagged still have a team of ~100 people and 2015 will be its 8th consecutive profitable year. The company raised $12M.
by Josh Constine
See full article at Tech Crunch
Interview With Coffee Meets Bagel Founder About Online Dating Today
TECH CRUNCH – Nov 26 – Bullish is a new TechCrunch talk show. Their first guest was Arum Kang, the founder of Coffee Meets Bagel. She talked about how online dating has lost its stigma. "Online dating will be mobile only; that's where the trend is going", she also said." Watch the full interview.
by Alex Wilhelm
See full article at Tech Crunch