Bumble, an Austin-based women-led startup that’s on a mission to solve 21st-century relationship problems, announced its intention to go public back in January this year.
Bumble files for IPO
On February 11, Thursday, the shares of Bumble began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “BMBL.” The dating app company, which had priced its share at $43 per share, traded up nearly 77% at $76 per share. The company closed trading with a market cap of about $7.7 billion.
Founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014, Bumble is the first app to bring dating, friend-finding, and career-building into a single social networking platform. Notably, Whitney Wolfe Herd (31) is the youngest female founder to take the company public. Furthermore, she also joined the list of women founders who led IPOs including Katrina Lake (Stitch Fox) and Julie Wainwright (TheRealReal).
In fact, Wolfe Herd is also the co-founder of Tinder, however, she sued her co-founder due to sexual harassment. Even though Tinder denied the allegations, the company ended up paying about $1 million to settle the dispute.
Bumble Inc. is the parent company of Badoo and Bumble, two of the world’s highest-grossing dating apps with millions of users worldwide. The Bumble app is one of the first dating apps built with women at the center, and the Badoo app is one of the pioneers of web and mobile dating products.
Female-centric platform
On Bumble, only female users can make the first contact with matched male users for heterosexual matches. The company currently employs over 600 people in offices in Austin, Barcelona, London, and Moscow.
Well, Bumble had an amazing Valentine week so far, where investors expressed their love and told the Tinder rival how special they are.
While online dating is a norm now, and during the ongoing pandemic it has been a big relief for some. There are several dating services which are present in the UK as well. However, to pick the best from the crowd, there are some startups which are trying to cater to niche segments and prove to be great alternatives, just in case, you want to try something different from Bumble or Tinder.
Hence, to make your Valentine’s weekend special, we have jotted down the list of startups from the UK that could help you find a virtual date.
Badoo
Founder/s: Andrey Andreev
Funding: £21.7M
This London-based platform is a dating-focused social network, allowing users to chat, make friends, and share interests. With a freemium social network, the company offers a wide range of free services, plus paid special features to help users meet even more new people. Launched in 2006, Badoo is one of the leading social networks in Europe and South America with 350 million users and over 400,000 new sign-ups every day. Badoo has 350 employees and is based in London, with offices in Moscow and San Francisco.
Wamba
Founder/s: Enrique Dubois
Funding: £2.6M
Wamba is a social dating network that enables users to meet, chat and interact with new people online. Based out of London, the company has over 22 million registered users and currently has more than 12 million active users worldwide.
Trueview
Founder/s: Andrew Ibbotson, Damian Mitchell, Matt Verity
Funding: £439K
TrueView is a dating application that allows users to create interactive and evolving profiles for better potential matches. As per the company’s claims, the dating app makes it easier and less stressful to find a serious and long-lasting relationship.
Blueheart
Founder/s: Robbie Coomber, Sachin Raoul
Funding: £1.1M
Based out of London, Blueheart is a fully automated therapy platform targeted at sexual dysfunction to strengthen and repair intimate connections. The therapies are designed by experts and based on the latest scientific research.
Muzmatch
Founder/s: Ryan Brodie, Shahzad Younas
Funding: £6.4M
Muzmatch is the world’s biggest dating app for Muslims looking for their life partner. Backed by Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator, the company has helped thousands of Arab and Muslim singles worldwide find love and someone to share their lives with.
The post Looking for love on Valentine’s Day? UK startups that can get you more dates than Bumble and Tinder appeared first on UKTN (UK Tech News).
