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: .
Financial stories by Hayley Birkin, page 18 of 18
- Schmooze's $4M Raise: A Bet on AI Companions, Not Meme Matches
Meme-based dating app Schmooze has raised $4M in Series A funding and is adding an AI dating coach and chatbot companion.
- The League's $1,000 Pivot: A Retreat from App-Only Dating
The League is launching a hybrid dating model with in-person events at $250 to $1,000 per month, versus its $99 monthly app subscription.
- Tinder's Brand Crisis: Match Group's Revenue Dilemma
Match Group's Tinder saw daily active users fall 10% year-over-year while stablemate Hinge grew 17%, according to Match's recent earnings materials.
- Gaydar's Sex Party Pivot: A Desperate Bid for Revenue Diversification
Gaydar is co-launching KK Homme, a male-only sex party with KK Group, on 19 October. Tickets start at £150, a revenue move beyond subscriptions.
- Hoodfishing: The Revenue Stream Dating Apps Won't Talk About
Hoodfishing, where users change their dating app location with paid features like Tinder Passport, is a revenue stream platforms do not disclose.
- Bumble's WNBA Bet: Sports Marketing as a Band-Aid for Retention Woes
Bumble has expanded its WNBA New York Liberty deal with playoff game sponsorship and a singles event, as Q2 2024 monthly active users fell 4%.
- Gen Z's Dating App Exodus: A Revenue Model Crisis for Match Group
79% of Gen Z singles use dating apps less than once a month, per Axios and Generation Lab, challenging Match Group's subscription revenue model.
- Bumble's Earnings: A Stress Test for the Dating App Model
Analysts expect Bumble's Q2 revenue to be $273M, up 5%, but the stock has fallen 7.4% to $7.95 on fears of a full-year guidance cut.
- New Dating Apps Launch with AI Claims. Investors Buy the Pitch, Not the Product.
Dating apps Better In Person, Lovector and Find Our Way launched between 15 and 17 July with near-identical AI pitches, and none explains its AI.
- Bindr's $60K Win: A Signal of Interest or a Drop in the Ocean?
Bindr, a dating app for bisexual and LGBTQ+ users, won $60,000 at Startupfest's queer entrepreneur pitch competition in Montreal.
- New Dating Apps Bet on Niche Markets. Investors Should Be Skeptical.
Six new dating apps, including YouMatch and Loverse, have launched while Match Group's market cap fell from $46B in 2021 to roughly $8B.
- Grindr's 'Global Gayborhood' Pitch: Visionary or Just Investor Bait?
Grindr raised full-year revenue growth guidance to between 23% and 25% at its investor day, where it pitched an AI-powered 'Global Gayborhood'.
- Hearts' CEO Search: A Signal of Struggle in Pay-Per-Match Model
Hearts, the $0.99-per-match dating app, is seeking its first CEO on equity-only pay, with a part-time option, after launching in November 2023.
- Google's €8.6bn Dating Bet: Why Affiliates Hold the Cards
Google projects the online dating market will reach €8.6bn by 2027, substantially above Statista's $3.97bn for 2028, it told HubPeople affiliates.
- Match Group's Values Pivot: A Revenue Risk or Just PR?
Match Group has named Jay Shetty Chief Relationship Advisor to develop values-based matching features as revenue growth slows to single digits.
- Chispa's $10K Pride Cap: Brand Activation or Missed Opportunity?
Match Group's Chispa will donate $1 per Pride sticker displayed to the Human Rights Campaign, capped at $10,000, with artist Julio Salgado.
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