JDate and JSwipe are no longer at war over the use of the letter J in signifying Jewish dating (as opposed to unlawful street crossing), Spark Networks, owner of JDate as well as many non-Jewish dating sites, on Wednesday said it had bought Smooch Labs, maker of the mobile dating app JSwipe. To get the purchase price we’ll have to wait for Spark Networks’ fourth quarter report.
Spark Networks and Smooch Labs had previously been in litigation and with this transaction both parties have mutually agreed to drop their respective cases.
Michael Egan, Chief Executive Officer of Spark Networks, stated, “We’re very excited to welcome the Smooch Labs team into Spark. They’ve created a fantastic mobile application that helps young Jews meet and form meaningful relationships, and together with JDate, our leading Jewish focused dating platform, Spark is now able to significantly build on its mission to strengthen the Jewish community through dating and marriage.”
JSwipe, launched in 2014, has grown rapidly in the global Jewish community. It now boasts more than 450,000 downloads worldwide and 40 million messages between users. It plans to offer premium, paid features that will enhance its current free platform in the near future.
David Yarus, founder of JSwipe, stated, “When we first started, we recognized that there was a gap in the dating market for millennial Jews and we’ve successfully built a product that really resonates with this audience. In talking with the new management team at Spark it was clear that we share the same mission and our combined know-how will help us better serve the Jewish community into the future. Everyone at Smooch Labs is excited to join the Spark team, expand their capabilities, and work together to spark Jewish love across the world.”
Egan added, “In the online dating world, great products win and as we introduce a re-designed JDate in the coming weeks and bring JSwipe and the Smooch team into the company we believe we are becoming clear leaders in building and marketing products that truly help singles connect and find meaningful relationships. Specifically with our enlarged J-family of relationship-oriented products and services we can now help Jewish singles across the age spectrum.”
The transaction, which was approved by the boards of directors of both companies, closed on October 14, 2015.