Hayley Birkin
Reporter, Finance, Regulation and People, Dating Industry Insights. Edited by Bill Alena.
Hayley Birkin reports on the business of online dating for Dating Industry Insights: earnings, funding rounds, deals and valuations, the laws and regulators that shape the sector, and the people who lead it.
619 stories. Latest: .
Community stories by Hayley Birkin, page 3 of 4
- POPCORN's Rebrand: Can a Sex-Dating App Truly Pivot to Women's Safety?
POPCORN, a rebranding pseudonymous sex-dating platform, has launched an English and Spanish survey on women's dating app preferences.
- GDI's London Pricing Gap: A Vendor Subsidy or Strategic Play?
Global Dating Insights opens early bird tickets for its 17 September London conference: £249 for dating platforms, £999 for vendors, until 30 May.
- Feeld's Kesha Partnership: Marketing Masquerading as Activism?
Feeld partnered with Kesha for a SXSW panel on non-traditional relationships, as dating apps turn to celebrity endorsements to differentiate.
- Grindr's Festival Takeover: A Survival Strategy Beyond Digital
Grindr will run 'The Gaybourhood', a branded area with three themed stages, at London's Mighty Hoopla festival next month, as it expands into physical events.
- AI Dominates GDI's 2025 Power Book. But Is Influence Just Visibility?
Global Dating Insights' 2025 Power Book names 16 leaders, and more than half build or oversee AI-driven products. Four are based in the UK.
- Chispa's Off-Broadway Gamble: Cultural Marketing or Survival Tactic?
Match Group's Chispa staged a one-night off-Broadway Romeo and Juliet through a Latino lens, but Match no longer reports app-level metrics.
- Oscar Mayer's Sizzl: A Case Study in Branded Dating Apps That Fizzled
Oscar Mayer's Sizzl dating app, launched in 2015, has no disclosed user metrics, so a retrospective fails B2B trade standards, the piece argues.
- Dating and Social Discovery Merge Events: A Market Convergence Signal
Global Dating Insights and Social Discovery Insights are merging into three regional events for 2025 in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
- Dating Industry's Parliament Gathering: Networking or Necessity?
Global Dating Insights has opened final ticket sales for its 5 December networking event at the Houses of Parliament, seven days before it takes place.
- Mumbai's Dating Conference: A Moat-Building Exercise Without Silicon Valley
Mumbai's 20 November dating conference lists no Match Group or Bumble executives. India's dating app market is estimated at $100M a year, per Tracxn.
- GDI's Mumbai Move: Betting on India's Matchmaking Model Over Western Norms
Global Dating Insights will hold its first Asia-Pacific conference in Mumbai this November, with Flutrr, Betterhalf and Sirf among the speakers.
- Grindr's 'Daddy Lessons': Community Service or Brand Play?
Grindr is considering extending its 'Daddy Lessons' queer history video series beyond this month, but has shared no performance metrics.
- Feeld's Print Magazine: A Lifestyle Pivot or Costly Brand Theatre?
Feeld is launching a biannual print magazine on sexuality and relationships, as the dating app reports 30% year-on-year growth.
- Feeld's Identity Crisis: Growth or Community Integrity?
Feeld faces user complaints that growth has diluted its polyamory and kink community, raising questions about whether niche dating apps can scale.
- Women in Dating Relaunch: A Sign of Progress or Persistent Imbalance?
Global Dating Insights is relaunching the Women in Dating networking group with a free event in London on 24 September.
- Social Discovery Group's Certification: Culture or Cover?
Social Discovery Group, operator of Dating.com and Cupid Media, has earned US Great Place To Work certification, based on anonymous employee surveys.
- Tinder's Ice Cream Socials: A Retention Gamble or Strategic Shift?
Tinder's free Single Summer Series of in-person events has run for 12 months since May 2023, but Match Group has not disclosed retention data.
- International Matchmaking: The Mail-Order Bride Industry's Rebrand
US firm A Wave Matchmaking says demand from American men seeking partners abroad has surged, with international matchmaking estimated at $3.2bn globally.
- Chispa's College Tour: Match Group's Bet on Experiential Marketing
Match Group's Chispa is touring five states with Sorry Papi to reach Gen Z Latino students, offering Puerto Rico and Baja California trip giveaways.
- GDI's London Line-Up: Betting on Niche Over Mainstream
Global Dating Insights London, on 25 September, has confirmed Salt, TAIMI, Chapter 2 and Mattr as its first four speakers, all challenger brands.
Companies Hayley covers most
- Match Group (54)
- Grindr (25)
- Bumble (19)
- Meta (7)
- Matrimony.com (6)
- Ithaca Holdings (5)
- Aisle (5)
- ODDA (3)
- ParshipMeet Group (3)
- Hello Group (3)
The DII team
- Kim Harris, Reporter, Technology, Data and News
- Bill Alena, Editor and founder