Dating apps are seeing real stagnation in revenue

- Younger generations are moving away from dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, seeking long-term relationships and real-life meet-cutes. - Hinge, owned by Match Group, has seen a 14% increase in user downloads in Q2, while Bumble's growth stagnated at 2%. - Tinder's downloads fell by 11-12% in Q2, with analysts predicting no positive growth until mid-2025. - Grindr's stock has surged 120% over the past year, despite a stable user base, thanks to a compelling growth plan. - Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, plans to exit Russia by June 30, 2023, citing human rights concerns.

- Dating apps like Tinder revolutionized courtship by making it easy and fun to sift through potential dates with a simple swipe. - Despite their initial success, user disillusionment has set in, with many finding the apps frustrating and overwhelming. - The number of people using dating apps has dwindled, and companies like Bumble and Match Group have seen their market values plummet. - Younger adults are particularly weary, with many turning to offline alternatives like in-person events and social activities. - Dating apps are exploring new strategies, including AI and niche markets, to lure users back, but the future remains uncertain. Source: [Economist](https://www.economist.com/business/2024/08/08/why-people-have-fallen-out-of-love-with-dating-apps)

It's the same story with so many platforms. They start off well, then start making it difficult for users over time to get matches. Eventually it becomes pay-to-match completely, especially for men. Is it really that difficult to run an honest matchmaking platform that actually does its job for a decent price or just ads? Has anyone tried starting their own or worked on platforms like these?

And why

What started as an Instagram-inspired social experiment has turned into a startup idea. (Refer: Men https://grapevine.in/post/808462ef-8ae0-4269-aaa3-c683ba1194bb and women https://grapevine.in/post/6bcaeffa-0cac-44a2-98a5-fc7a14786e85 survey) Few observations: 1. Our generation has moved on from orthodox thinking (baring few people) to more emotional compatibility 2. Men have more worldly expectations, while women seek spiritual features; none are right/wrong as long as they find each other. 3. Very glad that no one 'expected' the partner to take up gendered roles as dictated by society So, coming to the matchmaking platform. The idea is to have all aspects of life considered - personality, profession, family, demographics, physical attributes, etc. and have a weighted scale against them. Though I have my doubts here 1. An Introvert will need an extrovert to seek them but will be drained of social battery later. How do they match? 2. Physical attributes pull down people who aren't confident with their looks; that doesn't relate to how good/bad they are as partners. But without pictures, it will be a risky surprise element. 3. Prevent parents from creating accounts on children's behalf. Probably a social media log-in Share your thoughts on the compatibility algorithm and the problems we may face. P.S. I am not a techie, will need someone to actually build this. Will take care of marketing. Let's help someone find their soulmate ❤️ P.P.S. If this takes off, I will change my username to TimaSaparia

Was asking for some advice on fundraising. Got to know if you are building something with no revenue, literally impossible to raise. He explained how hard it is even for the current founders and expecting 100s of startups to fail next year with talent going cheap due to all the layoffs. Very hard to think how to monetise B2C if people don’t even link their credit or debit cards with Apple Pay and Android for in-app purchases. Also for B2B Saas, it’s better to build for US from India than building for India. Just “profit” over growth now. Nothing else matters 💭

I have been using the prominent dating apps since quite some time, they work well initially but slowly the experience feels like a drag. It’s just a bunch of connections you talk to and it mostly ends up being a dead conversation. I realised when you engage with users who are genuinely looking to date it’s much easier to meet up since everyone is aligned. My hypothesis is that adding more friction on onboarding (not blindly adding this ofcourse) could weed out the users with low intent and leave you with a high quality user base. What do you guys think is the problem with dating apps in general? P.S: this is a random 5am thought and I had to post it since I can’t stop thinking about it and wanted to hear other, and probably smarter, people out haha 🙌