Bumble

Image: Bumble

Bumble Inc has taken a big step in assisting users who have experienced sexual assault and abuse through its new online trauma support center, created in partnership with Bloom and now available to users of its Bumble and Badoo dating apps.

The support center offers online courses to help with emotional healing, and is available to users who report sexual assault or relationship abuse over the apps. They will receive a code for free access to a customized version of Bloom’s support specific to daters, with three self-guided courses: Healing from Sexual Trauma; Society, Patriarchy, and Sexual Trauma; and Dating, Boundaries, and Relationships. The dating apps will also offer one-on-one chat support and up to six therapy sessions for certain cases.

Kenya Fairley, Bumble’s Head of Member Safety Support said in a statement: “We are grateful to be able to remove many known barriers that survivors face when seeking trauma support, from privacy to cost, to allow them the opportunity to begin their healing journey at their own pace."

Dating app Bumble has been urging states to pass bills similar to the one it initiated in Texas, which makes it illegal for people to send unsolicited nude photos electronically. In mid-April, Virginia passed such a bill into law.

According to the new law, any adult sending an unsolicited “intimate image” electronically to another adult could be fined up to $500. The law defines intimate image as a “photo, film, video, recording, digital picture or other visual reproduction of a person 18 years of age or older who is in a state of undress so as to expose the human male or female genitals.”  

USA Today spoke with Bumble about how company's head of public policy for the Americas, Payton Iheme, reached out to Virginia Senator Jennifer McClellan for help with the legislation, since the company had success a few years ago passing a similar bill in Texas. The Virginia Senate had voted down another lewd photos bill two years before that carried criminal penalties, but since the new bill introduced civil penalties only, lawmakers felt more comfortable passing it into law.

Bumble dating app has partnered with Gucci to help support female entrepreneurs, furthering its mission to empower women not only in their personal lives but professional careers. The move was announced at a kick-off party for this year’s SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, where Bumble has its headquarters.

The two companies held a joint event at a downtown Italian restaurant to highlight female innovators across fashion, technology, film, and music, according to Vogue. The event specifically supported the work of DivInc, “a Texas-based non-profit that works to achieve greater social and economic equality” through supporting those who are starting their own businesses. The non-profit is set to start its new Tech Accelerator Program to benefit women who are just starting out. Bumble and Gucci partnered for the event through their joint campaign called Chime for Change, which promotes gender equality.

Gucci was also celebrating the launch of its new store in downtown, Austin.

New dating apps like Thursday and POM are focusing their efforts on pandemic-weary singles ready to connect via in-person events.

According to a profile of the apps in Business Insider, the apps’ founders saw opportunity as singles grew tired of virtual dating during pandemic lockdowns. As restrictions are starting to lift across the globe, singles are eager to mingle in person again, which is providing new opportunities.

London and New York have both become test cities for Thursday’s events, according to Business Insider. The app has been hosting events in these locations, up to 15 per week that are surpassing venue capacity. This might change in the coming weeks with the latest Omicron surge, but so far it hasn’t slowed the company down.

Bumble’s stock jumped 20 percent after an earnings report from the company showed an increase in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2021, finishing far ahead of analyst expectations.

According to Yahoo!, Bumble’s overall revenue for Q4 in 2021 increased 25.7 percent to $208.2 million compared to $165.60 million for the same quarter the year before, including the negative impact from foreign currency movements year over year. Total paying users also increased 10.6 percent to 3 million, compared to 2.7 million at the end of 2020. Total average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) was $22.83 in Q4 2021, compared to $20.02 in Q4 2020.

While Badoo’s app revenue decreased 3.5 percent to $57.7 million compared with $59.8 million from 2020, Bumble app revenue was on the upswing with a 42.2 percent increase in revenue to $150.5 million in the fourth quarter last year, compared to $105.8 million the year before, not only offsetting but far surpassing the losses.

Dating platform Bumble announced that it will be stopping operations in Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine. The company has removed its apps from the Apple Store and Google Play in both countries.

In addition to its signature apps, Bumble has removed its new and popular French app Fruitz, as well as Badoo which is popular across Europe, from app stores in Russia and Belarus, according to The Washington Post.

According to ABC local news in Texas, Bumble said it stands to lose about $20 million in revenue from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine due to the halting of operations. The Washington Post estimates this is less than .1 percent of the Bumble app’s revenue, and 2.8 percent of its revenue across all of its apps.