Category: Reporters – Andrea Chang

eHarmony Founder Has His Heart Set On Reviving The Dating Site

Posted on December 14, 2012

Eharmony neil clark warren la times interviewLOS ANGELES TIMES – Dec 13 – Neil Clark Warren came out of retirement to take over as CEO. In the last three years, he said, new memberships, retention rates and time spent on the site were all down. eHarmony growth has slowed: Its 2012 revenue is estimated at $275M, up 3.8% from last year. That's down from 2008, when eHarmony saw 16.4% YOY growth. Now, just 15% of eHarmony's staff has been with the company at least five years. Warren wants to make eHarmony a broad "relationship site" that includes services to help users make new friends, find the right job, become better parents, cope with aging and solve interpersonal problems, among others. How eHarmony manages that wealth of member information — users fill out an extensive questionnaire when they join the site, answering questions about their daily habits, likes and dislikes, past experiences and goals — will be the key to whether the new ventures are successful, said Mark Brooks, an online dating industry consultant. "I've seen a few Internet dating companies moving into other areas and failing," Brooks said. "But in the case of eHarmony it makes a lot of sense because they have deeper information on their users than any other company I can think of." Still, Brooks said he doesn't want eHarmony to lose focus on its core business, which "no question should have been a half-a-billion-a-year-revenue company by now."

eHarmony declined to release financial details but said new memberships increased 20% in the last month from the month before. It also said a member's average total amount spent on the site is up 15% year over year.

by Andrea Chang
See full article at LA Times

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Hybrid Social Networks Help Users Connect Online, Meet Up Offline

Posted on November 9, 2012

Grouper logo new Sep 12LA TIMES – Nov 9 – Hybrid social networks are connecting strangers with similar interests online, then directing them to meet in person. The sites are doing especially well among 20s – 30s. Grubwithus is a Venice start-up that enables users to attend group meals. Grubwithus has tripled its user base since the beginning of the year, with meal reservations growing 15% month over month; the company claims 80K subscribers. It launched out of start-up accelerator program Y Combinator and has raised $7.6M in financing from investors including Ashton Kutcher and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Still, some of the start-ups have been slow to get off the ground. After receiving $5M in funding in the spring, Lifecrowd, an experience marketplace for in-person group activities such as kickball and kayaking, went offline a few weeks ago. On its website, the company promises to "be back soon with an even better Lifecrowd." Another rising tech start-up is Grouper, which connects two groups of friends for face-to-face hangouts after pairing them online. Users apply for membership and are matched with someone else on the site. Each person then invites two other friends to join in for drinks; after prepaying online for the first round of drinks, the group of six meets at a bar chosen by Grouper. The setup takes away some of the awkwardness of meeting someone new alone, said Michael Waxman, Grouper's co-founder and chief executive.

by Andrea Chang
See full article at Los Angeles Times

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eHarmony CEO Job Is A Good Match For Jeremy Verba

Posted on July 23, 2012

EHarmony Jeremy Verba1LA TIMES – July 22 – Jeremy Verba, 49, became CEO of eHarmony in August 2011, replacing Greg Waldorf. Verba received a bachelor's degree in architecture from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. As a 10-year-old, Verba worked as a newspaper boy. He later worked as a salesman at a hardware store or as a waiter and a garbage collector. "Every work experience teaches you something about yourself. I learned a lot about people and jobs that aren't necessarily fun." After getting his MBA, Verba held several positions in technology and media, including CEO of Piczo and GM of Zynga. "I've always migrated to businesses that have big impact, and that's what attracted me to eHarmony", he said. After noticing that many eHarmony users access the site from their smartphones and tablets, Verba has been working to grow the company's social media presence and improve its mobile platform. Mobile traffic now accounts for a third of eHarmony's activity.

by Andrea Chang
See full article at LA Times

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