Some People Try to Find Love by Casting a Wide Net; Dating Apps Use the Same Strategy to Get Your Business

Many people recently celebrated Valentine’s Day with that special someone. Others celebrated Singles Awareness Day on February 15. And, although only a few days have passed since Valentine’s Day, it’s very likely there are some recently single folks out there who were not single on February 14. For those single people, after you’ve had a good dose of some classic country heartbreak hits (try Hank Williams – “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” or Miranda Lambert – “Kerosene”) to see you through these bleak times, take heart and read on. This article is here to help you understand the lay of the land for dating apps, so you’ll be ready for February 14, 2022.

Numerous iconic brands that surround us on a daily basis are owned by a relatively small number of large conglomerates. The auto industry is a great example. Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Maserati are just some of the brands owned by Stellantis N.V. Volkswagen AG owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and Volkswagen, to name a few. There are large players with huge brand portfolios that dominate the alcohol industry. ABInBev’s massive list of brands includes Goose Island, Michelob and Modelo. The consumer goods industry is no different. Brands that Proctor & Gamble has an ownership interest in include Charmin, Febreze and Tide. Unilever plc counts Dove, Lipton and Ben & Jerry’s as some of the recognizable names under its roof.

Just as these automobile, alcohol and consumer goods conglomerates have a wide spectrum of offerings, so do dating apps. Dating apps have been designed to be inclusive and cover a wide swath of users’ backgrounds. As parent companies acquire dating apps for their brand ownership portfolios, they increase their reach and are able to capture more users. As seen in the examples below, many of the commonly known dating apps are just one of many in a portfolio owned by a parent company. However, there are some key players that are notable exceptions to having a portfolio of many brands. One such exception is Bumble, which was listed on the Nasdaq exchange on February 11, 2021 and was valued at $13 billion.

The following summary demonstrates the consolidation that has occurred in the world of dating apps. Parent companies are bolded and underlined. Brands are indicated by an asterisk (*). (Not all brands owned by a parent company are listed; for example, Match Group, Inc.’s holdings are in the double digits). Quotes (some of which are more helpful than others) following the brand are taken directly from the dating app’s website and included for purposes of understanding the app’s target market.

 Badoo Trading Ltd.
*Badoo – “At Badoo we believe there is someone for everyone.”

 Bumble Inc.
*Bumble – “Women talk first to set an equal tone from the start.”

 Match Group, Inc.
*Hinge – “The dating app designed to be deleted”
*OkCupid
*OurTime – “the best in 50 plus dating”
*Plenty of Fish
*Tinder – “Whether you’re straight or in the LGBTQIA community, Tinder’s here to bring you all the sparks.”

 NSI Holdings LTD
*GirlsDateForFree
*UniformDating.com – “a dating site where heroes in uniform and their fans come together to find dates online”

ProSiebenSat.1 Media
*eHarmony – “the eHarmony member base is an ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse group of individuals of all ages — all of whom are looking to find someone special”
*GROWLr – “GROWLr is a gay dating app that makes it easy to meet men in your neighborhood or across the globe.”
*LOVOO – “the largest German-speaking dating app by downloads”
*MeetMe – “MeetMe has strong appeal among people 18-34”

Ruby Life Inc.
*Ashley Madison – “like-minded people looking for married dating”
*Cougar Life – “Cougar Life connects modern, confident women with energetic younger men.”
*Established Men – “Established Men is a premium online dating service that helps young, beautiful women connect with older, generous men!”

San Vicente Acquisition LLC
*Grindr – “Grindr is the world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people.”

 Spark Networks SE
*Attractive World – “Attractive World is the first premium online dating community of singles where selection occurs at the entrance. Will you make the cut?”
*Christian Mingle – “the largest community of Christian singles online”
*EliteSingles – “Over 90% of our members are 30+ and hold an above-average education.”
*JDate – “the premier Jewish dating site for Jewish singles looking to make a great connection with other Jewish singles”
*JSwipe – “#1 Jewish Dating App”
*SilverSingles – “SilverSingles is one of the best dating sites for 50+ singles only”
*Zoosk

Armed with this knowledge of the dating app industry, it’s never too soon to start your search for that special person to spend Valentine’s Day 2022 with. As entrepreneurs know, success often times is purely a numbers game, so you’d do yourself a favor to head to Home Depot to buy a drill, get this setup going and cast a wide net.