Category: Reporters – Sarah Perez
SwoonMe Dating App Uses Avatars and Audio
TECH CRUNCH – July 8 – SwoonMe aims to fix the problem with superficial dating apps, where users primarily make decisions based on how someone looks. Instead of swiping through profiles, SwoonMe's idea is to use a combination of avatars and audio to encourage users to connect based on someone's personality. To use the app, users take a selfie which SwoonMe converts into an avatar. They then record a voice clip to tell others about themselves and what they're looking for in a partner. The idea for SwoonMe comes from Tanvi Gupta, a former Facebook product specialist who was involved with a number of high-profile products, including those that shipped in Messenger and in Instagram Direct, such as Messenger reactions, a Messenger redesign, chat heads on Android, and more. Currently, SwoonMe is targeting the dating markets of San Francisco and L.A., but is open to anyone who wants to try it. The startup is a small team and currently working to raise $1M in seed funding.
Tinder Tested Group Video Chat
TECH CRUNCH – June 2 – "Tinder Mixer" allows users to join group video chats and play games with others nearby. The feature was tested for a short period of time last year in New Zealand, but will not be launching.
Snack, a ‘Tinder Meets TikTok’ Dating App, Opens to Gen Z Investors
TECH CRUNCH – May 10 – Snack, a video-first mobile dating app designed with a younger generation in mind, has launched its own Gen Z Syndicate on AngelList, which will allow Gen Z community members, influencers, creators and others to participate in the company's upcoming $2M SAFE, alongside other funds and angel investors. The company in February announced $3.5M in seed funding. Users on Snack post videos to a feed which others then like in order to be matched.
by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
Top 100 Subscription Apps Grew 34% to $13B in 2020
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.
App Stores to See 130B Downloads in 2020
TECH 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.
Tinder to Make It Easier to Report Users
Bumble Hires Two New C-level Executives
TECH CRUNCH – Oct 13 – Bumble is expanding its C-suite with two new hires: Anu Subramanian as Bumble's CFO, who hails from Univision, and Selby Drummond as chief brand officer, who is joining from Snap. Bumble can now claim it has equal male-to-female representation across its C-suite. According to reports, Bumble hit 100M users this summer and is preparing to IPO in 2021, possibly at a $6B-plus valuation.
Match Confirms Plans for Tinder Platinum
TECH CRUNCH – Aug 5 – Tinder is testing a new top-level subscription plan, Tinder Platinum, which it expects to roll out in Q4. Match described the subscription as providing additional value beyond Tinder's current paid plan, Tinder Gold, but noted the feature was still in the very early stages of testing and was essentially still considered a minimum viable product. According to a U.K.-based Tinder user, the offer for Platinum popped up when they were using Tinder on the web. But they weren't able to make a purchase. The image showed price points as £5.97 per month if on an annual plan, £8.35 per month if on a six-month plan or £14.32 per month if paying monthly.
After Numerous Rejections, Dating App Struck Hits the App Store
TECH CRUNCH – July 21 – Founded by former Apple engineers, a new app called Struck wants to be the astrology-based Tinder. But it took close to 10 attempts over several months for the startup to get its app approved by Apple. App reviewers flagged the app as "spam" either due to its use of astrology or simply because it was designed for online dating. Apple guideline states that developers should "avoid piling on to a category that is already saturated," and reminds developers that the App Store has "enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already." Apple will reject anything that "doesn't offer a high-quality experience."