Zoosk facts for kids
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| Industry | Consumer services |
|---|---|
| Founded | Fremont, California, U.S. (2007) |
| Founder | Alex Mehr Shayan Zadeh Brad Henrickson John Smart |
| Headquarters |
,
Germany
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Services | Online dating service |
| Revenue |  US$178.23 million (2013) |
| −US$2.62 million (2013) |
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Number of employees
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174 (April 2014) |
Zoosk is an online service that helps people meet and connect with others. It is available in many languages and countries around the world. The company was started by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr. Later, Kelly Steckelberg became the CEO. In July 2019, Zoosk joined another company called Spark Networks SE.
Contents
How Zoosk Started
Zoosk began in December 2007. Its founders, Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, were the first leaders of the company. They both moved to the United States from Iran to study. Zadeh and Mehr met at Sharif University of Technology in Iran. They then traveled to the U.S. to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland.
After finishing his studies, Zadeh worked at Microsoft. Mehr earned his advanced degrees and later worked for NASA. Mehr also started business school but left to focus on building Zoosk.
Company Growth and Changes
In April 2014, Zoosk planned to sell shares of its company to the public. This was a way to raise about $100 million for the company. They reported earning $178.2 million in 2013. This was a big increase from the year before.
At that time, Zoosk had 27 million members. About 650,000 of these members paid for the service. Zoosk was also a very popular app on the Apple iOS App Store. It was one of the top apps that earned money.
Even though Zoosk made a lot of money in 2014, the company spent too much. They hired too many people and expanded too quickly. Because of these problems, Zoosk decided not to sell its shares to the public in December 2014. In January 2015, they had to let go of about 15% of their employees. To help make more money, Zoosk started requiring people to pay to send messages in November 2014.
On March 21, 2019, a company called Spark Networks SE announced they would buy Zoosk. Spark Networks SE owns many other online connection services. The deal was completed on July 1, 2019. This made them one of the largest online connection companies in North America.
What Zoosk Offers
Zoosk has apps for both iOS (Apple devices) and Android phones. It also has a way to chat on computers. Zoosk uses smart computer programs to help people find good matches. These programs learn from what users click on and what messages they send. The more information Zoosk gets, the better it can suggest people who might connect well.
In August 2014, Zoosk added a Photo Verification service. This helps make sure that people's profile pictures are current. To verify a photo, users record a short video of themselves. Zoosk moderators then check if the video matches the profile picture. If they match, the user gets a green checkmark next to their photos. This feature helps prevent people from using old or fake pictures.
In January 2018, Zoosk launched a feature called Insignia. This allows U.S. military members to prove their service status. This helps prevent people from pretending to be military members. It also helps stop scams where people trick others for money by pretending to be in love.
Zoosk also uses fun ways to encourage people to use the app more. This includes popularity rankings.
Who Invested in Zoosk
Several companies invested money in Zoosk. These include Bessemer Venture Partners, ATA Ventures, and Canaan Partners. Zoosk raised more than $60 million from these investors.
How Zoosk Charges Money
Before November 2014, Zoosk allowed people to use the app and send one message for free. Since November 2014, you need to pay for a membership to send more messages and interact with others.
Awards and Recognition
Zoosk has received several awards and recognitions:
- In 2014, Inc. magazine included Zoosk on its Inc. 5000 list. This list features the fastest-growing private companies in America. Zoosk was ranked number 1660.
- Also in 2014, the San Francisco Business Times named Shayan Zadeh to its "40 Under 40" list. This list recognizes successful young business people in the Bay Area.
- The Wall Street Journal ranked Zoosk number 29 on its "The Next Big Thing 2011" list. This list highlights top companies funded by venture capital.
- About.com's 2011 Reader's Choice Awards named Zoosk's iPhone app a finalist for "Best Dating App."
- In August 2012, Zoosk was the fifth most popular online connection app in the world. It was the third most popular in the U.S.
- In 2012, the company won an Effie Award for its advertising campaign called "Online Dating, Your Way."
See also
- Comparison of online dating services
