Match

In 1994, visionary entrepreneur Gary Kremen used a $2,500 loan to create Match.com. Only 5 percent of Americans were using the internet at the time - and even fewer were using it to find love - but Match.com became the world’s first online dating service. More than 20 years later, it’s still one of the industry’s biggest and most dynamic players.

Though Kremen’s name may not be as famous as Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, his influence on the internet is immense. Author and award-winning journalist David Kushner chronicled the rise of Kremen and Match.com in The Players Ball: A Genius, a Con Man, and the Secret History of the Internet’s Rise. Less than six months after Kushner’s book was released, it’s set to get the Hollywood treatment with a small screen adaptation.

Study on Access to Personal Info by Dating Apps

Image: datingroo

Dating app users often don’t realize how much personal information they are giving away just by signing up. But Datingroo, a U.K.-based online dating research company, has released a new study that shows exactly how little privacy most dating app users have.

Datingroo studied the ten most popular dating apps from Tinder to PlentyofFish to eHarmony, examining 45 personal data access points in 13 categories such as precise location, other accounts on the device, network connections, and modification or deletion of the contents on USB storage, and found some surprising results.

Among all the apps, Badoo and PlentyofFish have access to the most data in user’s devices (92% of all access points studied). Combined, they have more than 522 million users worldwide, which means they have access to an enormous amount of information. Coffee Meets Bagel has the fewest users (7 million), as well as the least data access.

Match’s Singles in America survey, now in its ninth year, is the nation's largest and most comprehensive annual scientific study of single men and women across the United States. This year, Match polled over 5,000 singles about their current attitudes around sex and dating, the their response to the #MeToo movement, and how singles of all ages are changing the way they look for love.

"Modern love, sex and romance are thriving in America—from Millennials to seniors. The current fear that the young don’t care about love and commitment is just plain wrong. They are simply having a hard time finding it and feeling burnt out by the search,” says Dr. Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and Chief Science Advisor to Match. “Moreover, this year’s Singles in America study gives a first-of-its-kind look at the positive impact the #MeToo movement has had on single men — on dates and in the office.”

Singles still want love and they’re optimistic about their chances of finding it. According to the survey:

Technology has made it easier than ever to connect with singles around the world, but it has introduced its own set of questions and complications to the dating process. Match’s new service, AskMatch, aims to help curious, confused and clueless users navigate online dating by making a team of dedicated dating coaches available for one-on-one phone sessions.

Unlike the AI chatbots found on other apps, AskMatch coaches are live humans with professional resumes. Members can consult these experts for guidance, actionable tips or a sympathetic ear by selecting the “Talk to a coach” option under the “Discover” tab of the app. After the phone call, members can choose to remain in contact with their coach through the app to ask further questions or provide progress updates.

Image: Sensor Tower

After more than two years in the top spot, Netflix is no longer the world’s highest-grossing non-gaming mobile app. That title now goes to Tinder, which grossed $260.7 million from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store in the first quarter of this year.

App store intelligence firm Sensor Tower recently released its rankings of the highest grossing apps in the United States and worldwide for Q1 2019. Overall, global app revenue reached $19.5 billion last quarter, up nearly 17 percent year-over-year. Consumer spending on Apple’s App Store totaled approximately $12.4 billion globally, while Google Play revenue grew 20.2 percent year-over-year to approximately $7.1 billion. The world is increasingly moving to mobile, and for companies that are prepared to capitalize on the change, the potential for profit is huge.

Recipient
Match.com

For 2019 Match is the Editor's Top Pick - Paid award recipient. Since its inception Match has always been a paid dating service. It is free to look at profiles and search but a subscription is required to send messages to other members. While "Free" dating services are the latest craze their low bar of entry (i.e. no credit card required) means that scammers and bots tend to be much more prevalent. Match is very good at blocking scammers from even joining their service, thereby protecting their members. Being a paid service also means Match.com has the money to invest in the latest technology and hire some of the best trained developers.