Location-based casual dating app iCrushiFlush, owned and operated by Mumbai-based Living Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd, has raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-Series A investment from IDG Ventures, the company said in a statement.
iCrushiFlush enables users to find and connect with people around their location. Users can like or remove people using features named ‘Send a Crush’ or ‘Flush Out’, respectively. The app keeps these expressions secretive and mutual matches happen only when the other person also expresses the same desire. Once a match happens, people can connect and interact on a personal level. Beyond the simple swipe based ‘Crush’ and ‘Flush’, the app also allows users to use in-app gifting to connect with each other on a personal level.
“I had an idea for location-based dating and matching a couple of years ago. We then built the right technology platform that matches and engages across diversified India, which we term ‘Inner Bharat’. With changing cultural dynamics in India, dating is accepted as part of our lifestyle. Thus, this is the right time,†said Amit Vora, founder of iCrushiFlush.
The company was founded by Vora in 2014. Vora had previously held senior positions at Motorola, DTS and Reliance Communications in addition to being CTO at Hungama. Vora earned his MS in Computers from Michigan State University and has an MBA from Chicago Benedictine.
“Beyond the product and the space, what stood out was the team Amit had setup. Their single-minded focus for success resonated with our vision. I am confident that they are going to change the way dating is perceived in India,†said Karthik Prabhakar, VP - IDG Ventures, India.
The dating apps industry in India has been gaining momentum with many players hitting the market. In April this year, popular match-making portal Matrimony.com launched a dating app named Matchify.in under a separate wholly owned arm Matchify Services Pvt Ltd. Matchify positions itself as a women-focused dating app and allows them to communicate directly with others while men registered on the site can do so only for when they get a ‘match’ to like them back.
Early this year, Matrimony.com’s competitor People Group, which owns matrimonial portal Shaadi.com, invested an undisclosed amount to pick a significant minority stake in Delhi and Singapore-based, a mobile dating startup which runs its apps on Android and iOS under the Thrill banner. In a related deal, People Group’s existing dating property Fropper was brought under Thrill.
Earlier in February, instant messaging and mobile calling application firm Nimbuzz had launched an anonymous dating app called Masque. The app lets its users find, flirt and hook up with others based on their location, age and gender.
Matchmaking site Aisle had raised $100,000 in seed funding from a group of angel investors, including Anand Vijay of Microsoft and Shashank Mehrotra of BigRock, among others, in February this year. It is a curated platform for urban Indians seeking long-term relationships.
In November 2014, mobile-based dating venture Vee had received $1 million in its pre-Series A round of funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Other dating apps active in India include TrulyMadly.com, besides Tinder and Krush. In 2013, another India-related dating startup StepOut (formerly Ignighter) that had raised funding from several angel investors, was acquired by Twoo. Another player in the space is TwoMangoes.
