Types (Niche)

The president of gay dating app Grindr is under fire for a Facebook post in which he appeared to express opposition to same-sex marriage. Scott Chen, who became president of Grindr in August after it was purchased by Chinese tech firm Kunlun Group, has since deleted the controversial post and defended himself against accusations of anti-LGBTQ bias.

In a public status posted in late November, Chen wrote in Chinese: “Some people think marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. And I think so too. But that's your own business." Puzzlingly, he also criticized Christian groups fighting marriage equality and said he would boycott HTC after reports that it had backed US groups opposed to same-sex marriage. Chen’s conflicting remarks were translated to English and published by INTO, a digital magazine owned by Grindr.

Chen responded to the INTO article with criticism, calling it “unbalanced and misleading” and defending his post in the article’s comment section. “The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience,” he wrote. “I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage.”

Chen also chastised the website for not reaching out to him for comment before publishing the article.

Bumble has a lot on its plate these days, including a potential IPO, expanding its service to India, and becoming a content creator as well as building a “kind social network.”

The Wall Street Journal interviewed Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd about the female-friendly dating app, which has recently styled itself as a social media platform that promotes safety and helping women build relationships.

Bumble has been in the news lately because it’s rumored to be eyeing an IPO before the end of the year, with a $1.5 billion valuation. This could mean big news for the app, which competes with behemoths Tinder and more recently Facebook. Still, Bumble has managed to grow to 40 million users, up from 12.5 million in February 2017, which is significant growth compared to its competitors.

Chappy, a dating app for gay and bisexual men, has announced a new partnership with GLAAD. As of November 2018, every chat initiated by Chappy users will raise money for GLAAD’S work to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ community through an initiative called “Chats For Charity.”

“Chats For Charity” is designed to unite and mobilize the LGBTQ community around a common interest, to support global LGBTQ voices, and to influence the community to be tolerant, respectful, inclusive and non-discriminatory.

“Every time Chappy users chat and connect with each other, they will be supporting GLAAD’s culture-changing LGBTQ work,” said Zeke Stokes, vice president of programs at GLAAD. “Chappy is making a powerful commitment to LGBTQ acceptance and we are proud to partner with them on this initiative as well as their broader work to build community.”

New Branding Effort for Tinder

Match Group is looking to differentiate their suite of dating apps acquired over the past few years, including star Tinder and relationship-focused app Hinge.

On a call with investors, Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg shared that the company is looking at better defining their brands, according to website Tech Crunch. This means that Match Group has decided to embrace the hook-up reputation of Tinder to attract younger users from 18-25, who aren’t necessarily looking for a long-term relationship.

Match Group will launch a new branding effort called “single lifestyle” with billboard campaigns and digital initiatives. It’s begun publishing content on the “Swipe Life” website with stories about travel and dating. Recent articles have included “7 Exit Strategies for Terrible Dates,” and “Study Abroad Hookup Confessions.”

When it comes to dating apps, Andrey Andreev is no neophyte. The Russian entrepreneur is the founder of Badoo, an investor and advisor for Bumble, and a key player in the growth of Blendr, Huggle, and Chappy. He may be the industry’s most prolific matchmaker, and he’s making headlines again with new venture for senior singles.

Andreev and co-founders Antoine Argouges and Charly Lester have announced the launch of Lumen, a dating app specifically designed for singles over 50. Though it’s not the first dating service to target the underserved mature market, it hopes to best competitors by providing a modern and fun experience that knows what the niche is missing.

“Do a search of the phrase ‘over 50s dating’. The results that come up are embarrassing for the industry,” Andreev commented. “The over-50s have been mistreated by the dating sites for years. I’m excited to see the Lumen team launching an app which finally listens to this audience and specifically targets their issues and needs.”

In the wake of Grindr’s ‘Kindr’ initiative to stamp out sexual racism on its platform, two other gay dating apps are following suit.

UK-based Chappy recently announced a major relaunch and rebranding that includes both cosmetic changes and a zero tolerance policy for abuse. In a press statement, Chappy announced it has been working closely with Bumble on its redesign and strategy, which is focused on creating a safer and more inclusive space for gay and bisexual men to connect.

“At its heart, Chappy is engineered to empower gay men to form positive, healthy relationships based in kindness and mutual respect, and that’s something I’m extremely passionate about,” said Sam Dumas, Chappy’s Global Head of Brand as of August 2018. “Collaborating with tech titans like Andrey [Andreev, founder of Badoo and an investor in Bumble] and Whitney [Wolfe Herd, co-founder of Tinder and CEO of Bumble] is an incredible opportunity. I’m honored to be a part of what’s going to be an inspiring next chapter for the brand.”