Zoosk: Difference between revisions
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==Funding== |
==Funding== |
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Zoosk’s investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, ATA Ventures and Canaan Partners.<ref name="WP" /> The company has raised more than $40 million in equity.<ref name="WSJ" /> |
Zoosk’s investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, ATA Ventures and Canaan Partners.<ref name="WP" /> The company has raised more than $40 million in equity.<ref name="WSJ" /> |
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==Spammer alert== |
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Zoosk requests access to email accounts or Facebook login to "find friends" on the service. What it does is send an email to every entry in your contact list, inviting each person to see your photos. Of course, there are no photos, but it will induce your friends to visit the site and join to see them. The mail is sent through your email service, so it is from you. Unsuspecting friends will join the service to see your photos, thusly propagating the spam another generation. This likely violates spam laws. |
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This fraudulent method of acquiring nominal users adds to the illusion of user growth, which, in turn, is used to boost valuation. |
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Zoosk is funded by [[Bessemer Venture Partners]]. If this venture firm is knowledgeable about this fraudulent practice, they are complicit. If not, they are being defrauded themselves. |
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==Awards and recognition== |
==Awards and recognition== |
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The Wall Street Journal ranked Zoosk number 29 on its The Next Big Thing 2011 – The Top 50 Venture-Funded Companies list. This ranking highlights the U.S. venture-funded companies most likely to succeed. Zoosk moved up from a number 42 spot the previous year.<ref name="WSJ" /> |
The Wall Street Journal ranked Zoosk number 29 on its The Next Big Thing 2011 – The Top 50 Venture-Funded Companies list. This ranking highlights the U.S. venture-funded companies most likely to succeed. Zoosk moved up from a number 42 spot the previous year.<ref name="WSJ" /> |
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Revision as of 02:58, 11 November 2012
| File:ZooskLogo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer services |
| Founded | Fremont, California, U.S. (2007) |
| Founder | Alex Mehr Shayan Zadeh |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Services | Online dating service |
| Revenue | US$90 million (2011) |
| Total equity | US$40.1 million (2011) |
Number of employees | 100 (October 2011) |
| Website | zoosk |
Zoosk is a romantic social network with an online dating service that integrates with other social networks.[1][2][3]
Zoosk is available in 25 languages and serves more than 70 countries.[3] The company earned the #29 spot in The Wall Street Journal’s The Next Big Thing 2011 – The Top 50 Venture-Funded Companies list.[1]
Zoosk’s headquarters are in San Francisco, CA.
History
Zoosk launched in December 2007. Its co-founders, Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, are the company’s co-CEOs.[4][1][2] Zoosk integrates dating and social networking and has a popular Facebook application.[5]
Zadeh and Mehr were roommates at graduate school at the University of Maryland. Zadeh worked at Microsoft after graduating with a master’s degree. Mehr earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. and later worked for NASA. Mehr attended business school at the University of California at Berkeley, but he dropped out to work on Zoosk.[6]
Zadeh and Mehr originally opened a market research company that leveraged social media. Shortly after that company launched, Zadeh and Mehr began using their market research technology to build Facebook games. One of these games led to Zoosk.[6]
Product
Zoosk is a site that combines social networking and online dating. Social graph information is incorporated into user profiles. The company has a popular application on Facebook. Zoosk has a dedicated website, a mobile app, and a desktop chat client.[7]
Zoosk targets younger users aged 25 to 35.[7][2] 70% of its users are under age 35. It uses gamification and popularity rankings to encourage participation. Zoosk also offers “couple services” to users who have already found a match. These services include couple profiles.[8]
Funding
Zoosk’s investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, ATA Ventures and Canaan Partners.[2] The company has raised more than $40 million in equity.[1]
Awards and recognition
The Wall Street Journal ranked Zoosk number 29 on its The Next Big Thing 2011 – The Top 50 Venture-Funded Companies list. This ranking highlights the U.S. venture-funded companies most likely to succeed. Zoosk moved up from a number 42 spot the previous year.[1]
About.com’s 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards named Zoosk’s iPhone app a finalist in its Best Dating App competition.[9]
Zoosk was nominated for a Crunchies award in 2010 for Best Time Sink Application.[10]
Also in 2010, Zoosk was featured in the Flo Rida and T-Pain single “Zoosk Girl,” which appeared on Flo Rida’s third album “The Only One".[11]
According to AppAppeal, in August 2012 Zoosk was the fifth most popular dating app in the world and the third in the U.S.[12] In 2012, the company also won a prestigious [13] Effie Award for its advertising campaign "Online Dating, Your Way".[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Next Big Thing 2011 - The Top 50 Venture-Funded Comapnies" The Wall Street Journal Accessed September 6 2012
- ^ a b c d Kincaid, Jason "Zoosk Lands Another $30 Million for Social Dating" The Washington Post Accessed September 6 2012
- ^ a b "Form 8-K" United States Securities and Exchange Commission Accessed September 8 2012
- ^ "Zoosk profile" CrunchBase Accessed September 6 2012
- ^ Ward, Bryan "Zoosk Is Facebook's Fastest Growing Application" AllFacebook Accessed September 6 2012
- ^ a b "Shayan Zadeh & Alex Mehr Interview" Vimeo Accessed September 6 2012
- ^ a b Kincaid, Jason "Zoosk Hits 40 Million Members, Eyes $20 Million In Revenue This Year" CrunchBase Accessed September 7 2012
- ^ "Mehr Says Zoosk Is Social Network for `Romantic Life'" The Washington Post Accessed September 7 2012
- ^ "Best Dating App Readers' Choice Award 2011 Finalists" About.com Accessed September 9 2012
- ^ Kincaid, Jason"Congratulations Crunchies Winners! Facebook Takes Best Overall For The Hat Trick" TechCrunch Accessed September 9 2012
- ^ Graff, Gary"Flo Rida to Show Range of Skills on Double Album, 'The Only One'" BillBoard Accessed September 9 2012
- ^ "The Most Popular Dating App Per Country" AppAppeal Accessed September 10 2012
- ^ "Effie Awards" Advertising Educational Foundation Accessed September 10 2012
- ^ "Effie:Zoosk" Effie Worldwide Accessed September 9 2012
External links
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