Dating Pro Digest: 64% of Black Gen Z women report practicing celibacy
Feeld’s fantastic finances: £39.5 Million and counting!
Feeld, the innovative dating app for non-traditional romantics, has achieved impressive growth, boasting £39.5 million in revenue, nearly doubling its turnover. Founded by Dimo Trifonov and Ana Kirova, Feeld caters to those interested in polyamory, open relationships, and kink, positioning itself as a unique player in the dating app market. Profits have surged from £2.4 million to £5.5 million, highlighting an increasing demand for alternative dating platforms.
Remarkably, £33 million of its turnover comes from international markets, demonstrating Feeld’s global appeal. The app offers a free basic experience, with subscription options for premium features, aligning with current trends favoring niche platforms.
Under Kirova’s recent leadership as CEO, Feeld has undergone a strategic rebranding and technology enhancements to improve user experience. She also acquired a 24% stake in the company, emphasizing her commitment to its future.
Feeld’s success serves as an encouraging example in the competitive dating app landscape, attracting users seeking a more adventurous approach to love and relationships. In an era where traditional dating often leads to mundane interactions, Feeld encourages exploration of diverse connections.
Hinge introduces “Turn your limits” feature to tackle dating burnout
The online dating world has a new dilemma: users are getting trapped in an endless loop of waiting for replies, ghosted messages, and matches that go absolutely nowhere. Hinge, the self-proclaimed “dating app designed to be deleted,” has decided to tackle this head-on with their new feature, “Turn Your Limits.” This handy tool pushes users to finally make a choice: either engage with the match or say goodbye, instead of letting conversations gather dust in your inbox.
Rather than letting people hoard endless chats with no real follow-up, “Turn Your Limits” gives a gentle nudge—either respond or end the conversation. Until you make a decision, you can forget about new matches or extra likes. Hinge’s founder and CEO, Justin McLeod, explains, “Your next relationship might be just one message away,” and this new feature helps users gain momentum by pushing them to act instead of passively waiting.
And guess what? The stats back them up: Hinge reports that conversations where both people reply within 24 hours are 72% more likely to lead to a date. Plus, 76% of users agree that consistent messaging shows genuine interest. Early trials of “Turn Your Limits” boosted user responsiveness by 20%, with many saying it helped them focus on quality matches and have more meaningful conversations.
While no feature can magically erase all the frustrations of online dating, tools like “Turn Your Limits” might just become increasingly popular as more people struggle with dating burnout and endless scrolling.
Meme-based dating app Schmooze secures $4 million in series A funding
Schmooze, the meme-driven dating app, has successfully secured $4 million in a Series A funding round led by Elevation Capital, with contributions from prominent angel investors. This follows an earlier investment of $3.47 million from Inventus Capital Partners and others, bringing the total funding close to $7.5 million.
Launched in 2021 by Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag, Schmooze differentiates itself by using memes and artificial intelligence (AI) to connect users through humor and shared interests. This approach is an alternative to the more superficial focus on looks, aiming instead to better represent each user’s personality by engaging them in what they find funny.
The platform also features AI-powered tools such as “Genie AI” (a dating coach) and “Roast AI” (a comedic chatbot), designed to enhance user interaction and provide companionship. Schmooze has already attracted over 1 million users in India, recording 900 million meme swipes, with a higher female-to-male ratio than typical dating platforms.
While a meme-driven dating app might sound unusual to some, it has substantial financial backing. Only time will tell if the app maintains its steady but notable growth. According to the app’s website, it already boasts 1.2 million downloads, with many more to come.
Train operator Northern blocks dating apps on onboard WiFi
Train operator Northern has reaffirmed its decision to block dating apps on its onboard WiFi as part of its commitment to providing a family-friendly internet service. Operating across northern England, Northern first implemented the block in 2017 under the Friendly WiFi scheme, ensuring its onboard internet complies with standards set by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).
Matt Rice, Northern’s Chief Operating Officer, stated that the ban was implemented because “while some dating websites and users operate with appropriate levels of self-moderation, some might not.” In addition to dating apps, Northern blocks access to websites and apps related to nudity, gambling, pornography, and other NSFW (not safe for work) content.
Despite this, the Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) expressed disappointment with Northern’s blanket ban. A spokesperson for ODDA argued, “This is a disappointing decision by Northern, ignoring the substantial efforts made by ODDA and its members to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content.”
“As the global voice for the sector, trust and safety are at the heart of what we do. Our members employ extensive methods to keep users safe from online harm, including robust identity verification processes to prevent children from signing up to online dating sites. We also require all our members to adhere to our standards.”
So far, Northern seems committed to standing by its decision and has wished its users “all the best” in their search for partners through these apps. ODDA, on the other hand, stated, “With more and more people finding friendship and romance online, it’s a real shame they’ve implemented a blanket ban.
New dating app Fuse launches with unique friend and family involvement
Elodie Clowes and Amanda Karr have launched a new dating app called Fuse, which allows users’ friends and family to actively participate in selecting future dates. Based in Philadelphia, the installable web app can be accessed online and downloaded directly to a mobile device’s home screen without going through app stores.
Both 2022 graduates of Lehigh University, Clowes and Karr were inspired to create the app after observing how their friends in their 20s were burned out on dating apps or were interested in their single friends’ dating lives but had no way to be directly involved.
Through the app, users build a typical dating profile complete with photos and responses to prompts. What sets the app apart is that they can then invite five friends or family members to be “fusers.” Similar to a traditional dating app, fusers can swipe to reject or accept profiles and share other profiles with the users, who ultimately decide if they want to match with another dater. Fusers have unlimited likes, while users have a set number of likes per day to prevent “swiping burnout.”
All profiles on the app are vetted by the founders within 24 hours of setup to ensure there’s a person, not a robot, behind them. The Fuse team also plans to weed out inactive accounts to ensure high activity and engagement on the platform, which can be a pain point on other platforms.
Austin welcomes new dating app “After” aimed at reducing ghosting
“After”, a new dating app, has launched in Austin, Texas, to tackle ghosting. It requires users to explain why they unmatched someone before continuing to swipe and prompts responses to messages, with matches expiring if ignored. Focused on accountability, the app provides closure to unmatched users and reduces inactive matches. Additional features include dating guides, mood check-ins, and a freemium model. “After” plans to expand across Texas and eventually to other states
Happn teams up with foursquare to elevate social dating
Happn, the popular dating app, has teamed up with Foursquare to enhance its “CrushPoints” feature. By integrating Foursquare’s location data, Happn aims to boost user engagement by offering a wider range of global venues for singles to connect over.
With “CrushPoints for All,” users can now add their favorite local spots, such as cafes, parks, or restaurants, to their profiles. This allows them to discover potential matches who share similar interests and locations.
This update comes in response to a survey indicating that 81% of Indian singles are interested in meeting in person at familiar places. Given Happn’s large user base in India (41 million), this new feature could significantly benefit the platform. The partnership with Foursquare empowers Happn users to explore a broader range of venues and find more relevant connections.
Happn’s CEO, Karima Ben Abdelmalek, sees the partnership with Foursquare as a way to “redefine the social dating experience.” By encouraging real-world connections and offering new brand engagement opportunities, Happn aims to boost user engagement and provide brands with a stronger presence in the dating space.
The “CrushPoints for All” feature allows users to choose significant or familiar locations as re-usable dating spots. Happn plans to introduce native advertising aligned with these places, making CrushPoints a valuable tool for both users and advertisers
Dating platforms are pivoting towards friendship-focused features
Bumble, Match Group, and Muzz are expanding into friendship and community-building. Bumble is scaling its BFF app and recently acquired Geneva, a community-building platform. Match launched Yuzu, which lets users switch between social and dating modes. Muzz introduced Muzz Social, connecting users by location and interests
New dating startup Swipeless aims to reduce swiping by promoting offline connections
Swipeless, a Malaysian dating platform, aims to minimize swiping by encouraging offline connections. Founded by Shan Li, Swipeless focuses on organizing real-life events to foster genuine connections.
Li, with a background in finance and co-founding Babydash, launched Swipeless after finding traditional dating apps ineffective. Swipeless offers a variety of events, from pickleball and karaoke to hiking and cooking workshops, providing opportunities for like-minded individuals to meet organically.
Swipeless leverages a combination of online and offline data to refine its matchmaking algorithms. By analyzing user preferences and attendance history, the platform offers personalized event recommendations. Unlike traditional dating apps, Swipeless requires users to meet in person at an event before connecting online. Additionally, the platform’s marketplace system empowers hosts to create and manage their own events independently.
With a growing user base of over 800 and more than 50 events hosted, Swipeless is currently piloting in Kuala Lumpur. The platform plans to expand to other cities and aims to reach 1,000 paid subscribers in the near future. With a long-term vision of connecting singles worldwide through curated, in-person experiences, Swipeless is poised to revolutionize the dating landscape
“Hoodfishing”: The new trend in dating app location manipulation
While many users continue to rely on dating apps to find matches within their local area, a growing number are exploring the possibilities of setting their location to distant cities or even foreign countries.
The concept is simple yet intriguing. Popular dating apps allow users to modify their location settings, enabling them to connect with potential matches beyond their immediate geographic boundaries. For many, this feature represents an opportunity to expand their dating pool, discover new possibilities, or even test the waters in unfamiliar cities.
Lydia Karakyriakou, a content creator and former reality TV star from Glasgow, provides a compelling example of virtual location hopping. Disillusioned with her dating prospects in Glasgow, Karakyriakou used a dating platform to explore matches in London. Ultimately, her virtual exploration led her to relocate to Manchester after discovering a promising connection.
Users who modify their location gain access to a wider pool of potential matches, including those specifically seeking local connections.
Photos from the GDI London dating conference 2024
The event featured insightful talks from industry leaders like Mattr, Happn, Taimi, Netcore, Gaydar.net, Feeld, Purchasely, and many more. Get a glimpse of the event’s energy and key speakers by browsing the photo gallery below. You can also find a video overview here to re-live some of the conference’s highlights.
Image: pinterest.com/pin/577797827185566627/
In a plot twist for online dating, an Australian study has found that men show a bit more interest in women who might not be “classically attractive”—as long as they have a high-paying job or an impressive career. Who needs abs when you’ve got assets, right?
Published on July 15th, the study explored how people browse dating profiles, and it wasn’t just about pretty faces. Using eye-tracking tech and self-reports, researchers discovered that men tend to pay extra attention to women with big incomes, even if they don’t tick all the beauty boxes.
The study involved 40 university students (ages 18 to 27) who browsed profiles while their eye movements were recorded. Turns out, men were more likely to focus on profiles of women with solid careers, while women, on the other hand, zoomed in on men’s faces—especially when their job status wasn’t exactly CEO level.
Interestingly, men self-reported looking for short-term flings, while women leaned more toward long-term relationships. Researchers summed it up: “Eye-tracking reveals differences in how men and women prioritize attractiveness versus job status in those crucial first 10 seconds.”
So, if you’ve got a great job but feel like your dating profile isn’t getting attention, this study says otherwise—your paycheck might just be doing the talking for you!
46% of Indian women consider online dating apps to be a safer way of communication, especially compared to in-person meetings.
Image pinterest.com/pin/1087900853710695623/
A quarter of married couples in Japan under the age of 40 met through dating apps. A study involving 20,000 people showed that 25.1% of married respondents found their partner via an app, compared to 20.5% who met at work and 9.9% at school. Additionally, 57% of married individuals used dating apps, even if they didn’t meet their partner there, compared to 27% of unmarried respondents.
The Tokyo government launched a dating app to counter declining birth rates. In 2023, there were 3.9 marriages per 1,000 people, compared to 10.4 marriages 50 years ago. 60% of unmarried respondents expressed a desire to get married, while 42.7% cited a lack of opportunities to find a partner as one of the biggest obstacles.
64% of Black Gen Z women (born between 1997 and 2012) reported practicing celibacy, with 63% of them having made this decision within the past six months.
61% of respondents chose celibacy to focus on self-improvement. 66% experienced improved emotional well-being after deciding to abstain from sexual activity, and 87% of those surveyed said celibacy either improved or had no negative impact on their dating lives.
Some dating platforms have added celibacy as an option in the “looking for” section of user profiles.
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