Internet dating giant Match Group acquires Egyptian dating startup Harmonica to expand into Muslim-majority markets

Match Group, the web dating giant with a market limit of over $20 billion that owns various dating sites and apps including Tinder, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com has obtained Egyptian internet dating startup Harmonica, the Dallas-headquartered business announced today in a declaration to MENAbytes, without disclosing monetary information on the deal.

Launched in very early 2017 by Sameh Saleh, Tamer Saleh, Shaymaa Aly & Aly Khaled, Harmonica’s app that’s carefully created for Muslims helps users find a prospective wife. The software, as a declaration by Match Group records, approaches mobile matchmaking with respect to neighborhood traditions and countries.

It is possible to find out more information regarding how a app works in this piece we’d written last year.

“Sameh founded Harmonica after witnessing their sibling as well as other family members try to meet possible husbands through the marriage process that is arranged. He thought technology could facilitate significant relationships and empower singles to meet up with their future life lovers, but there have been no services and products serving his community or handling more conservative social norms,” the business explained in a declaration.

Match Group is acquiring the Egyptian startup to provide 33 nations in Asia and MENA which have a big population that is muslim. Harmonica’s little group of 12 full-time workers (such as the founders) is joining the US business within the purchase and certainly will evidently work with an English app in addition to Harmonica presently has A arabic-only software. Harmonica, per declaration, will remain headquartered in Cairo, with Sameh Saleh continuing as CEO. It is Match Group’s very first workplace in the center East.

The US business with this specific purchase may be accepting different (fairly smaller) players which were attempting to re re re solve the situation of internet dating for Muslims, with YC-backed Muzmatch that recently raised $7 million Series A, being the essential one that is prominent.

Sameh Saleh, co-founder and CEO of Harmonica, stated, “Two years ago, we founded Harmonica with your siblings, cousins, and buddies at heart, because of the aim of assisting them locate a perfect partner. It absolutely was critical that everything we built had been something to safeguard them and express the values which our community cares profoundly about. It had been also essential which our moms and dads is confident with them utilizing our app.”

“We’ve already facilitated a huge selection of marriages simply in Egypt and genuinely believe that with Match Group’s vast experience, you can find exciting possibilities ahead,” he included.

Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Match Group, stated, “As we think of worldwide development and expansion, you will find huge populations of young singles — mostly across Asia as well as the Middle East — which will be shopping for their life lovers within the future that is near and that aren’t precisely offered by Western services and products”

“The Harmonica group isn’t just smart and revolutionary, but has generated a very differentiated and product that is technologically impressive, although early-stage, undoubtedly knows the requirements of this tradition. We think we’ve discovered talent that is great with regional expertise and insights which will help us further fl

ish in our worldwide expansion strategy,” she included.

Harmonica https://foreignbride.net/balinese-brides/ had been backed 500 Startups (it had been element of their accelerator that is global Flat6Labs Cairo.

Both the investors using this purchase have actually completely exited the Egyptian startup. This is the very very very first exit that is high-profile Flat6Labs, one of many earliest and leading accelerators for the area.

Ramez El-Serafy, CEO of Flat6Labs, commenting in the event, stated, “From time one we’ve had a lot of rely upon Harmonica’s talented group, and their truly innovative wedding matchmaking application; now, we’re delighted that Match Group is sharing the exact same self- confidence in going ahead with this specific deal that is remarkable. This deal marks the very first major Flat6Labs exit with significant comes back on investment in only over a year.”

Harmonica earlier in the day this 12 months had additionally accompanied tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center’s incubation program. The startup had finished from TIEC’s incubator last thirty days.