Events, people moves and the dating industry's community.
Club Introductions is expanding to the US with matchmaking at £1,000 ($1,250) for six months, targeting the mid-market gap.
Mark Brooks has bought Global Dating Insights via his consultancy Courtland Brooks. No editorial safeguards have been disclosed.
Mattr's sold-out 'Pitch My Queer Bestie' event in Edinburgh on 31 July, held with Diageo, had friends pitch single mates in five slides.
High Intent Media has launched as a holding company offering white-label dating platform infrastructure while running a dating industry news division.
Former Bumble comms director Lucille McCart has joined AI matchmaking startup Overtone as Head of Communications after nearly seven years at Bumble.
HubPeople CEO Michael O'Sullivan has published a dating app book. He says the 4,000 apps on HubPeople's platform have generated over $100 million in revenue.
Jigsaw Dating has pivoted to offline events, now running over 200 monthly across more than 30 US cities, and is positioning itself against AI in dating.
White Label Dating relaunches on 1st July under undisclosed owners after a 2024 administration that left approximately £3 million in liabilities.
Grindr's 'Bussy' tour will visit London, Cannes, Amsterdam, Brighton and Madrid in 2026, its third year globally and second in Europe.
Hinge is earmarking up to $200,000 for French community groups through One More Hour, which has donated $2.3M globally since 2024.
Hinge launched its 'Can't Believe We Met on Hinge' campaign, with seven real couples describing dating app exhaustion before matching.
Chapter 2 Dating, a UK app for bereaved singles, has reached 25,000 users, the company says. Founder Nicky Wake also runs WidowsFire and has bought M14.
Grindr has launched an in-app content series on chemsex and drug addiction, working with peer-support groups on harm reduction resources.
Grindr will host its first official White House Correspondents' Dinner side event on 25th April 2026, amid proposed cuts to HIV prevention programmes.
Lorraine Adams has relaunched her dating services directory as an AI-powered platform that reportedly earns affiliate commissions.
'Pop the Balloon or Find Love' YouTube creators launched a dating app for Black singles in February, with a 'Match Lock' one-chat limit.
Ross Williams, founder of collapsed white-label dating firm Venntro, has launched the Fortitude Foundation, a peer support network for failed founders.
60% of Indian running club participants cite meeting people as their main motivation, a sign offline groups may compete with dating apps in India.
TikTok will hold Live Fest in Las Vegas on 12 February 2026, headlined by Demi Lovato, as it tries to build LIVE monetisation in the West.
Surf Dating is now an official HYROX partner, hosting in-person singles meetups at fitness racing events across North America.
Aisle Network's Better Because of Love campaign rejects swipe culture, citing company research that 97% of Indian women prioritise commitment.
Widowed and Young is charging £40 per ticket for a 2 December speed-networking event in London, as Match Group and Bumble avoid widowed dating products.
Blazr, a cannabis-focused dating platform, has appointed Alex Sergeev, founder of Meetville, as co-founder and head of growth after 15 years in dating.
Feeld has published the second issue of its AFM print magazine, featuring Nan Goldin, as it bets on cultural positioning over growth.
Nicky Wake has turned an acquired white-label platform into an incubator for niche dating apps, offering founders shared tech and equity deals.
Global Dating Insights has confirmed four events through 2027, in New York and London, a 24-month window, but has not announced speakers, venues or pricing.
The Global Dating Conference runs in London on 26-27 March, with sessions on safety regulation, AI compliance and revenue beyond subscriptions.
Mark Brooks of Courtland Brooks is now Partnerships Manager at Global Dating Insights and will keep consulting, raising conflict of interest concerns.
Global Dating Insights has extended nominations for its Women in Dating Special Report 2025 until 22 August, with self-nominations allowed.
Global Dating Insights has opened nominations for its 2025 Women in Dating Special Report until 18 August, but has not published detailed selection criteria.
PowerPoint matchmaking nights are selling out in Sydney and Melbourne pubs, as 75% of Gen Z users reported dating app burnout in a 2024 Forbes survey.
Cherry Blossoms Dating has operated since 1974 and turned 51, surviving by serving a regulated international matchmaking niche mainstream apps avoid.
Feeld has signed Kesha to front Freedomme, a summer-long sexual self-expression initiative, as it reports 30% growth from mainstream users.
BLK's survey of 1,000 straight Black men found more than 30% admitted joking at queer Black men's expense, as part of its Pride Month allyship campaign.
The Feels charges $49 per monthly singles event in Los Angeles, using somatic dating techniques, with no disclosed conversion data.
Yuzu is running multi-city in-person events for Asian and Pacific Islander singles in the US, but has not published data on retention or conversion.
Dating startup Thursday has sold nearly 800 tickets for its Dubai debut and plans eight MENA cities by end of 2025, aiming for 20,000 monthly attendees.
The Lox Club, a dating app for Jewish and "Jew-ish" singles, launches in London on 30 January after four years of US operations, the company says.
GDI's North America dating conference in New York on 19 March 2026 has brand tickets at £249 early bird and fixed £999 vendor tickets.
The Lox Club, a members-only Jewish dating app, launches in London next week, its first international expansion since its US launch four years ago.
POPCORN, a rebranding pseudonymous sex-dating platform, has launched an English and Spanish survey on women's dating app preferences.
Global Dating Insights opens early bird tickets for its 17 September London conference: £249 for dating platforms, £999 for vendors, until 30 May.
Feeld partnered with Kesha for a SXSW panel on non-traditional relationships, as dating apps turn to celebrity endorsements to differentiate.
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.
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.
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 dating app, launched in 2015, has no disclosed user metrics, so a retrospective fails B2B trade standards, the piece argues.
Global Dating Insights and Social Discovery Insights are merging into three regional events for 2025 in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
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 20 November dating conference lists no Match Group or Bumble executives. India's dating app market is estimated at $100M a year, per Tracxn.
Community covers the people and events of the dating industry: conferences, trade bodies such as the Online Dating and Discovery Association, awards, and profiles of the executives and founders shaping the business.