General News

Image: Bumble

In just five years, Bumble has become a dominant voice in the digital space. The company expanded its initial dating-focused product to become a platform for meeting friends and a tool for business networking. Outside of the app, Bumble’s numerous ventures include a startup investment fund, entertainment industry initiatives, pop-up installations and brand partnerships. Bumble has proved it is one of the most ambitious leaders in the dating industry, so few fans - or detractors - will be surprised to hear the company has yet another launch on the horizon.

Bumble’s newest endeavor is Bumble Mag, a lifestyle publication created in partnership with Hearst Magazines’ branded content studio, HearstMade. The first issue features fashion entrepreneur (and real Bumble user) Lauren Chan on the cover and 100 pages of articles about dating, careers, friendship and other topics of interest to Bumble’s 50 million-plus users.

Grindr has come under scrutiny in the last several weeks after Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech purchased a majority stake in the popular dating app in 2018. The U.S. government has demanded the new owners give up control of the company.

According to The Washington Post, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government body charged with overseeing security threats to U.S. companies, has declared that the Grindr purchase is a threat to U.S. national security because of the risk posed to the privacy of users of the app.

Every April Fools’ Day, brands vie to nab headlines by pulling off outrageous public pranks. This year’s notable gags include Google claiming to have invented a plant language translator, Spotify giving listeners disco-infused Discover Weekly playlists, and McDonald teasing eaters with milkshake-flavored dipping sauces. But the award for 2019’s most memorable prank goes to Tinder, which shook up the online dating world and inspired heated debate with a faux feature announcement.

A March 29 blog post introduced the world to the Height Verification Badge, a tool purportedly designed to stop “height fishing” and enforce honesty on the dating app. “Height-lying ends here,” proclaims the post. “To require everyone under 6’ to own up to their real height, we’re bringing truthfulness back into the world of online dating.” The post’s guide to using the feature directs users to input their real height and submit a screenshot of themselves standing next to a commercial building for comparison. Fake screenshots show an error message instructing a dissembling user named Tyler to enter his correct height.

Tinder Co-Founder Sean Rad is continuing his legal battle with Match Group by asking the court to dismiss the dating giant’s counter-lawsuit against him.

Rad, along with other former Tinder employees, filed a lawsuit against Tinder’s parent company last year, claiming that Match Group deliberately devalued their stock options to avoid paying billions of dollars in equity. Part of the evidence he cites is his email correspondence, which has become a sticky point for him and the lawsuit.

Facebook Dating has just expanded its service to include two more countries: Mexico and Argentina.

The social media giant’s new dating platform launched in 2018, and was first introduced to Facebook users in Colombia, and then later in Canada and Thailand. Mexico and Argentina are the latest countries to join the rollout.

According to CNET, Facebook also revealed some new features it will be adding to its dating service soon. “Auto Profile Create” does just what it implies – it can automatically generate a profile for you by gathering photos and information from your existing Facebook account, making it easier to get started. Users have the ability to edit or remove information in the auto-generated profile, or they can opt to build one from scratch.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble has set its sights on partnering with prominent female leaders, including tennis champion Serena Williams. The company just announced that she will be an investor and active member of the new Bumble Fund, as well as a global ambassador for the brand.

The Bumble Fund is an investment fund started by Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd to help female entrepreneurs get support for their projects and businesses. It’s also a great way to market the company’s networking app Bumble Bizz. The Bumble Fund focuses on getting businesses started with initial funding, ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $250,000, primarily for businesses led by women of color and underrepresented groups.