GIZMODO – Oct 25 – Using exploits ranging from simple to complex, researchers at the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab say they could access users' location data, their real names and login info, their message history, and even see which profiles they've viewed. They tested Tinder, Bumble, OKCupid, Badoo, Mamba, Zoosk, Happn, WeChat and Paktor. Most apps have minimal HTTPS encryption, making it easy to access user data. The researchers say they have already sent their findings to the respective apps' developers.
Category: Paktor
Paktor To Speak At iDate Conference In London On October 3-4, 2017
WEBWIRE – Sep 12 – Shn Juay, Head of Operations from Paktor will speak on the Asia dating app market at iDate London. The event is held in London on Oct 3-4, 2017. Registration for the event can be made at http://www.idate2017.com/register-london-2017.php.
17 Media Launches An Office In Japan
E27.CO – Sep 12 – M17 Entertainment, a merged company between Singapore-based dating platform Paktor and Taiwanese video streaming platform 17 Media, has officially launched an office in Japan. The 17 Media app is currently ranked 11th in the social networking category on Japan's App Store. "Unlike Taiwan, Japan's live-streaming market is still very young with plenty of room for growth. It's the perfect timing for 17 Media to go into Japan now", said M17 Entertainment co-founder and CEO, Joseph Phua. M17 Entertainment claimed it reaches ~30K users live-stream on the platform each day, and globally, it has ~30M users.
Paktor’s M17 Raised $40M
TECH IN ASIA – Aug 3 – M17, an entity that includes Singaporean dating app Paktor, has raised $40M. M17 has an in-house team producing entertainment content spanning music, commentary, and reality television shows, and aims to be an interactive multimedia platform. The company scouts for original content creators like livestreamers, music producers, and celebrities.
by Malavika Velyanikal
The full article was originally published at Tech in Asia, but is no longer available.
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Online Dating Is Hot Money In China
by Samantha Cheh
See full article at Tech in Asia
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Paktor Continues Spending Spree: Acquires Taiwan’s Goodnight
SG NEWS – Feb 8 – Founded in 2015, Goodnight matches people with common interests, after which, they can engage in a voice chat of up to seven minutes. It claims a user base of ~500K. Paktor has formed a new division called Paktor Labs, which is a social apps accelerator headed by Colin Hodge, previously CEO and co-founder of Down and Sweet (two dating apps Paktor bought last month). Down and Sweet, Goodnight and Kickoff (acquired last May) will all be part of Paktor Labs. These newly acquired apps will increase Paktor's user base by ~7M, bringing the total number to 20M users.
by Yon Heong Tung
See full article at SGNews
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Paktor Acquires Casual Dating App Down
TECH CRUNCH – Jan 21 – The terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but the price was reportedly "several million". Colin Hodge, the founder and CEO of Down, will join the Paktor team and will run Down and Sweet apps. He will also be overseeing Paktor Labs and be responsible for acquiring other apps, amongst other things. Down started in 2013 (as Bang With Friends) and grew to 5M downloads, about 200k MAU and $1M annual revenue from in-app purchases.
by Katie Roof
See full article at Tech Crunch
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Q&A With CEO Of Dating App Paktor, Joseph Phua
Q: Are you only targeting users 18-32? Do you think that there is no market for those above 32?
A: Everyone of any age are most welcome, just that we noticed that the majority of our users fall between 25- 35 years old.
Q: With increase in hacking cases, how safe is your app from such attacks?
A: We follow the security best practise guidelines as recommended by the industry experts. Paktor requires users to sign up via their FB accounts, but the caveat is to have at least 50 friends before anyone is eligible for user registration.
Q: What is the revenue model?
A: Currently Paktor app is on a 'freemium model', where it is free to install and use the app. Users who would like to have a better match may have the option to subscribe as Paktor's premium member. The other revenue source comes from advertising.
Q: How different is Paktor from Tinder?
A: We tap on our localised knowledge and introduce features that locals want.
Q: Are you planning to launch in India?
A: The India market holds plenty of opportunities for Paktor and we don't dismiss the possibility of entering India. However, our current focus is on North Asia – namely Korea and Japan.
How Dating App Paktor Managed To Grow In Asia
FORBES – Dec 19 – As an MBA student at the University of Chicago, Paktor CEO and co-founder Joseph Phua learned the first-hand benefits of online dating. He returned to Singapore to launch an American-style mobile dating app. The Paktor team soon found that successful tactics used by US and European dating apps didn't translate to Asian societies because of their more conservative dating norms. So Paktor launched Group Chats (providing an environment to facilitate chats within a collective community). The app has now ~15M users, 5B swipes and the largest activity in the region by downloads and usage. They achieved this growth by deeply understanding their local customers and deploying Facebook's Account Kit to enable mobile phone numbers as a universal login.
Dating App Paktor Acquires Photo-Sharing And Live Streaming App 17Media
CHANNELNEWSASIA – Dec 8 – Paktor has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Taiwanese start-up 17 Media, which owns a photo-sharing and live streaming app that has ~15M users worldwide. The deal marks Paktor's first acquisition and comes as the homegrown start-up looks to diversify into the social entertainment space. Following the acquisition, Paktor Group CEO Joseph Phua will take on the role of CEO at 17 Media, while Mr Jeffrey Huang, founder of 17 Media, will remain as chairman. Paktor is a mobile dating app which offers users to find partners by swiping right to "like" potential matches or left to "reject". The app has amassed ~15M users and operates in six Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan.
See full article at ChannelNewsAsia
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