{"id":4918,"date":"2015-12-09T22:03:35","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T03:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/grindr-the-original-dating-app\/"},"modified":"2015-12-09T22:03:56","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T03:03:56","slug":"grindr-the-original-location-based-dating-app","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/grindr-the-original-location-based-dating-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Grindr: The Original Location-Based Dating App"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0Grindr connects gay men to the world that brings them happiness. The company aims to become the preeminent global gay lifestyle brand, bringing together gay men with the people, places and things they care about most. \u00a0– Grindr Company Fact Sheet, June 2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Business Model<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the first location-based dating and social app, Grindr launched in 2009 in order to connect 18+ gay, bisexual and curious men with other local men. It offers both a free, ad-supported version and a monthly subscription version (no adds, ability to see more nearby users).<\/p>\n

Men can look for other men to find friendship, to network, for dates, long-term relationships and one-time intimate encounters.<\/p>\n

To date, Grindr has 2 million daily users who access the app an average of 9 times per day for an average of 54 minutes (versus 15 on Tinder (Source<\/a>)). Users send over 70 million messages and 5 million pictures daily. (Grindr Company Fact Sheet, June 2015). On December 9, 2015\u00a0, Grindr was the #50 highest grossing Paid App on the app store, retaining a high spot even 6 years after its launch (Source)<\/a><\/p>\n

While the company does not disclose financials, leaked documents suggest an expected 2015 annual revenue of $38 million (from $16 million in 2012) with expected growth up to $77 million by 2018. (Source<\/a>). 25% of the revenue comes from advertising (which includes location-based pop-ups from nearby bars) and 75% comes from member subscription fees ($10-12 per month) (Source<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Operating Model<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a small team of 30 employees (Source<\/a>), Grindr achieves its business goals by keeping its user interface simple and open ended, simulating a bar-like experience where you can asses all your options and only interact with those you are interested in interacting with.<\/p>\n