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 a company that offers an online dating service. This service helps adults connect with each other. It is available in 25 languages and in more than 80 countries around the world. The company was started by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr. They led the company until December 2014. Later, Kelly Steckelberg became the new CEO. In July 2019, Zoosk joined another company called Spark Networks SE.
Contents
The Story of Zoosk
Zoosk officially started in December 2007. Its co-founders were Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr. They were the first leaders of the company. Both Zadeh and Mehr came to the United States from Iran to continue their studies.
They first met as college students at Sharif University of Technology in Iran. Then, they traveled to the U.S. together for graduate school. They both attended the University of Maryland. Zadeh earned a master's degree in computer science. After that, he worked at Microsoft. Mehr earned both his master's degree and a PhD. He later worked for NASA. Mehr also started business school at the University of California at Berkeley. However, he left school to focus on building Zoosk.
In 2014, Zoosk was doing very well. It was one of the most popular apps for connecting people. It was even a top 25 app on Apple's iOS App Store. The company had many members, with hundreds of thousands paying to use the service.
However, Zoosk faced some challenges in 2014. The company spent too much money on growing and hiring new people. Because of this, Zoosk decided not to go public with its shares. In January 2015, they had to let go of some of their staff. To help the company earn more money, Zoosk changed its rules. From November 2014, people needed a paid membership to send messages.
On March 21, 2019, Spark Networks SE announced a plan to buy Zoosk. Spark Networks is a big company that owns many other connecting services. The deal was completed on July 1, 2019. This made them one of the largest connecting companies in North America.
How Zoosk Works
Zoosk has apps for both iOS (Apple devices) and Android phones. It also has a way to chat on desktop computers. Zoosk uses smart technology to help users find good matches. This technology is called "Behavioral Matchmaking engine." It learns from what users click on and who they message.
The more a user uses Zoosk, the better its suggestions become. This is because the system collects more information about what the user likes.
In August 2014, Zoosk added a "Photo Verification" service. This helps make sure that people's profile pictures are current. It prevents users from using old photos that don't look like them anymore. To verify a photo, users take a short video of themselves. Zoosk moderators then check if the profile photo matches the video. If they match, the user gets a green checkmark on their photos. This feature first came out on the Zoosk iOS app. Later, it was added to the Android app.
In January 2018, Zoosk launched a feature called Insignia. This helps U.S. military members prove their service status. It helps reduce fake profiles and scams. Zoosk also uses fun features and popularity rankings. These help encourage people to use the app more often.
Who Invested in Zoosk?
Several companies invested money in Zoosk to help it grow. These investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, ATA Ventures, and Canaan Partners. The company raised more than $60 million from these investors.
How Much Does Zoosk Cost?
Before November 2014, you could use the Zoosk app for free. You could also send one message to another person without paying. But since November 2014, you need a paid membership to send more messages. This means you have to pay to talk to other people on the app after the first message.
Awards and Recognition
Zoosk has received several awards for its success.
- In 2014, Inc. magazine included Zoosk on its Inc. 5000 list. This list features the fastest-growing private companies in America. Zoosk ranked number 1660.
- Also in 2014, the San Francisco Business Times recognized Shayan Zadeh. He was named to their "40 Under 40" list of top young business leaders.
- The Wall Street Journal ranked Zoosk highly on its "The Next Big Thing" list. In 2011, Zoosk was number 29. This was up from number 42 the year before.
- About.com's 2011 Reader's Choice Awards named Zoosk's iPhone app a finalist. It was in the "Best Dating App" competition.
- In August 2012, AppAppeal said Zoosk was the fifth most popular connecting app in the world. It was the third most popular in the U.S.
- In 2012, the company also won an Effie Award. This was for its advertising campaign called "Online Dating, Your Way."
Images for kids
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Zoosk logo
