Meet Kinksters
In short: Meet Kinksters was a sex-positive dating app that matched singles on romantic and sexual compatibility. Founded by Brad Jones, it launched in 2022 and was a small, privately held start-up. BeeDee, a Belgian kink dating platform, acquired it in May 2025, and its web service closed on 27 June 2025. It is a small example of consolidation among niche dating apps.
Key facts
| Type | Niche dating app (kink and sex-positive) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
| Status | Closed; acquired by BeeDee in May 2025, web service shut 27 June 2025 |
| Website | meet.kinksters.dating |
| LinkedIn profile | |
| Acquirer | BeeDee announced its acquisition of Meet Kinksters on 6 May 2025; terms were not disclosed and both companies were privately held. [BeeDee Press & Media Coverage, 6 May 2025] |
| Founder | Brad Jones, founder and CTO of Meet Kinksters [BeeDee Press & Media Coverage, 6 May 2025] |
| Launch year | Launched in 2022 [BeeDee Press & Media Coverage, 6 May 2025] |
| Closure | Shut down operations on Friday 27 June 2025 following the sale of its mobile app assets to BeeDee; users were emailed about saving chats and contacts. [Meet Kinksters Shuts Down Following BeeDee Acquisition, 27 June 2025] |
| Deal record | PitchBook lists the merger/acquisition as completed on 7 May 2025, with BeeDee as parent company. [Meet Kinksters Company Profile, 7 May 2025] |
| Legal name and location | Crunchbase lists the legal name as Not Vanilla, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, United States, with 1 to 10 staff and a pre-seed stage. [Meet Kinksters - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding] |
| Website | meet.kinksters.dating [Meet Kinksters on LinkedIn] |
About Meet Kinksters
Meet Kinksters was a sex-positive dating app for kinky and curious adults. It let members combine usual profile fields with sexual interests, so that romantic and sexual compatibility could be considered together from the start. It was founded by Brad Jones, who is named as founder and chief technology officer. It launched in 2022 and was available on Google Play and the web. Crunchbase lists the company as a very small business based in Beaverton, Oregon, with the legal name Not Vanilla, Inc. Public sources describe it as bootstrapped and then seeking angel investment, rather than as a large venture-backed business.
On 6 May 2025, BeeDee announced it had acquired Meet Kinksters. BeeDee is a sex-positive dating platform run from Ghent, Belgium, and its release said both companies were privately held and the terms were not disclosed. Online Personals Watch and PitchBook also record the deal. BeeDee said the acquisition brought its app to the Apple App Store for the first time.
Trade press reported that Meet Kinksters shut down its remaining web service on 27 June 2025, after its mobile app assets had moved to BeeDee. Users were told by email how to save their chats and contact details. The company matters to the dating industry as a small, founder-led niche app that exited by sale to a rival rather than by scaling alone.
Stories about Meet Kinksters
- Meet Kinksters' Closure: A Case Study in Niche Dating's iOS Dilemma
Meet Kinksters closed its web platform 30 months after launch, after selling its mobile assets to rival BeeDee. Neither app is available on iOS. - BeeDee's iOS Breakthrough: A Game Changer for Sex-Positive Apps?
Sex-positive dating app BeeDee has acquired UK-based rival Meet Kinksters and launched the combined platform on Apple's App Store for the first time.
Questions about Meet Kinksters
What was Meet Kinksters?
A sex-positive dating app that matched singles on both romantic and sexual compatibility. It launched in 2022 and was founded by Brad Jones.
Who acquired Meet Kinksters?
BeeDee, a sex-positive dating platform in Ghent, Belgium, announced the acquisition on 6 May 2025. Terms were not disclosed.
Is Meet Kinksters still running?
No. Trade press reported that it shut down on 27 June 2025, after its mobile app assets were sold to BeeDee.
What does Meet Kinksters do?
Meet Kinksters was a sex-positive dating app that matched singles on romantic and sexual compatibility. Founded by Brad Jones, it launched in 2022 and was a small, privately held start-up. BeeDee, a Belgian kink dating platform, acquired it in May 2025, and its web service closed on 27 June 2025.
When was Meet Kinksters founded?
Meet Kinksters was founded in 2022.
Also known as: Kinksters, Not Vanilla, Inc..