Bumble is the newest dating app aiming to win the affection of women in India.
The app, which empowers women to be the first to reach out, revealed its plans for an Indian launch later this year. Indian star Priyanka Chopra, a recent investor, will provide guidance for the expansion.
This announcement comes just days after Tinder introduced a My Move feature in India, allowing women to prevent men from starting discussions.
However, Bumble’s plans for entering India have been in development for some time. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd noted that Chopra mentioned months ago how “Indian women needed Bumble.” Chopra also contributed to the launch of Bumble Bizz, the company’s networking platform, back in October 2017.
“It was evident then that we shared a commitment to empowering young women globally,” Wolfe Herd expressed in an email to CNN. “That led us to develop a strategy to collaborate and launch Bumble in India.”
Wolfe Herd mentioned that the primary challenges in breaking into the Indian market involve “adapting the experience locally and drawing women in,” an area where Chopra will play a supportive role.
Chopra’s manager, Anjula Acharia, is also invested and serving as an advisor. Acharia was pivotal in promoting Chopra, who had already made a name for herself in India, to American audiences. Acharia has a notable history of facilitating cross-cultural introductions, having played a key role in bringing artists like Britney Spears and Lady Gaga to India — experience that may assist in making Bumble resonate with the local market.
The localized app will be available in both Hindi and Hinglish, a blend of Hindi and English, across iOS and Android platforms. Bumble plans to introduce enhanced safety features before its debut in the region, especially in light of India’s troubling reputation concerning violence against women. Recently, India was labeled the most dangerous country in the world for women.
Wolfe Herd shared that the app will only require Indian women to use the initial of their name — avoiding the need for full first or last names — and will offer new mechanisms for reporting inappropriate behavior within the app.
Bumble already implements photo verification features and has over 4,000 content moderators to oversee profiles and photos.
Before founding Bumble, Wolfe Herd was among the early employees and executives at Tinder but departed the company in 2014 after filing a lawsuit for sexual harassment and discrimination, which was settled later.
The competition between the two dating platforms has become increasingly intense, especially due to ongoing public legal disputes between Bumble and Match Group, Tinder’s parent company.
In March, Match Group initiated a lawsuit against Bumble, alleging patent infringement and the stealing of trade secrets. Bumble recently requested that the court dismiss the case.
Additionally, Bumble has filed a counter lawsuit against Match Group, asserting that Match is leveraging litigation as retribution for unsuccessful acquisition negotiations. Both lawsuits remain unresolved.
While Bumble already operates in over 160 countries, India presents a vital opportunity given its expansive market. A Bain & Co report indicates that India boasts 390 million internet users, making it the second largest online market after China.
