Match Group, the web giant that is dating a market limit of over $20 billion that owns various dating internet sites and apps including Tinder, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com has acquired Egyptian internet dating startup Harmonica, the Dallas-headquartered business announced today in a declaration to MENAbytes, without disclosing monetary information on the deal.
Started during the early 2017 by Sameh Saleh, Tamer Saleh, Shaymaa Aly & Aly Khaled, Harmonica’s app that’s carefully created for Muslims helps users locate a life partner that is potential. The application, as being a declaration by Match Group records, approaches matchmaking that is mobile respect to neighborhood traditions and countries.
It is possible to find out more information regarding the way the application works in this piece we’d written a year ago.
“Sameh founded Harmonica after witnessing their cousin as well as other family relations make an effort to meet possible husbands through the arranged marriage process. He thought technology could facilitate meaningful relationships and empower singles to meet up their future life partners, but there have been no services and products serving their community or handling more conservative social norms,” the business explained in a declaration.
Match Group is acquiring the Egyptian meet swiss girls startup to provide 33 nations in Asia and MENA which have a sizable population that is muslim. Harmonica’s tiny group of 12 full-time workers (like the founders) is joining the US business within the purchase and can evidently work on an English app along with Harmonica presently comes with an app that is arabic-only. Harmonica, per declaration, will remain headquartered in Cairo, with Sameh Saleh continuing as CEO. It’ll be Match Group’s office that is first the center East.
The US business with this specific purchase will likely to be dealing with different (fairly smaller) players which have been wanting to re re re re solve the difficulty of online dating sites for Muslims, with YC-backed Muzmatch that recently raised $7 million Series A, being the absolute most prominent one.
Sameh Saleh, co-founder and CEO of Harmonica, stated, “Two years ago, we founded Harmonica with this siblings, cousins, and buddies at heart, because of the aim of assisting them find a perfect partner. It had been critical that that which we built had been one thing to guard them and express the values which our community cares profoundly about. It absolutely was also essential which our moms and dads will be confident with them utilizing our app.”
“We’ve already facilitated a huge selection of marriages simply in Egypt and think that with Match Group’s experience that is vast you can find exciting possibilities ahead,” he included.
Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Match Group, stated, “As we think of worldwide development and expansion, you will find huge populations of young singles — mostly across Asia together with Middle East — that’ll be interested in their life lovers within the not too distant future, and that aren’t correctly offered by Western services and products”
“The Harmonica group isn’t just smart and revolutionary, but has generated an extremely differentiated and technologically impressive product that, although early-stage, certainly knows the requirements of this tradition. We think we’ve found talent that is great with neighborhood expertise and insights which will help us further succeed in our worldwide expansion strategy,” she included.
Harmonica had been backed 500 Startups (it had been section of their accelerator that is global Flat6Labs Cairo.
Both the investors with this specific purchase have actually completely exited the Egyptian startup. It’s the very very very very first high-profile exit for Flat6Labs, one of many earliest and leading accelerators for the area.
Ramez El-Serafy, CEO of Flat6Labs, commenting regarding the occasion, stated, “From day one we’ve had a lot of rely upon Harmonica’s talented group, and their truly innovative wedding matchmaking application; now, we’re delighted that Match Group is sharing the exact same self- confidence in going ahead with this specific deal that is remarkable. This deal marks the very first major Flat6Labs exit with significant comes back on investment in only over one year.”
Harmonica early in the day this 12 months had additionally joined tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center’s incubation program. The startup had finished from TIEC’s incubator last thirty days.