Dating app Tinder has officially acquired contact management startup Humin today for an undisclosed amount.
The technology behind Humin is the most attractive part of the deal, as well as some of its staff who will be offered new roles. Co-founders Ankur Jain and David Wyler will be staying on as the vice president of product and vp of partnerships for Tinder, respectively.
Tinder will also be setting up shop in San Francisco for the first time with its new staff.
In a statement on its website, Humin says:
Our friends at Tinder share our underlying vision and have already revolutionized the world of dating. Now, as a part of Tinder, we believe that together we can make it easier than ever to meet amazing new people and connect with your friends – at a scale we could never reach alone.
Humin hasn’t gained the traction it wanted to achieve when it began in 2012, but its technology will undoubtedly be used to help Tinder diversify its offerings. Humin also has another app called Knock Knock, which is strikingly similar to Tinder rival Happn.
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Knock Knock is aimed at college students, similar to Tinder’s origins, and works by allowing people to chat with anyone close-by without exchanging phone numbers. All they have to do is ‘knock’ on their phone screen twice to strike up a conversation.
While it’s not perfect as-is, the concept is something that could help Tinder make sure Happn, which is growing in popularity, doesn’t make the swipe look outdated.
Happn’s hyper-local service makes it appealing for fleeting encounters, like when you lock eyes with someone on public transport orin a cafe. That’s something Tinder hasn’t perfected but would surely be massively welcomed by its millions of users around the world.
Of course, with Humin’s contact management system, Tinder could also be looking to go beyond the dating world and offer a more professional service – like corporate hookups (joke).
Sean Rad, Tinder’s co-founder, hasn’t specified exactly what its plans for Humin’s technology is, just stating that it will be useful in helping the company launch what it’s planned for this year. Speaking to Forbes, Rad added that Humin’s team would be helping the company tailor its app to better suit various cultures and markets.
Humin and Knock Knock will both shut down as standalone services soon, though existing users can still access them both for the time being.
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