Online dating huge Match class acquires Egyptian internet dating startup Harmonica to expand into Muslim-majority marketplaces

Match class, the net matchmaking giant with a market limit more than $20 billion that owns various matchmaking web sites and software including Tinder, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and Fit features acquired Egyptian online dating sites startup Harmonica, the Dallas-headquartered providers launched these days in a statement to MENAbytes, without disclosing financial specifics of the deal.

Launched in early 2017 by Sameh Saleh, Tamer Saleh, Shaymaa Aly & Aly Khaled, Harmonica’s application that is thoroughly designed for Muslims helps users come across a possible wife. The software, as a statement by Match team notes, methods mobile matchmaking with respect to neighborhood practices and societies. Look for additional information exactly how the software works within this part we’d created a year ago.

“Sameh started Harmonica after witnessing their brother as well as other family members try to satisfy potential husbands through arranged matrimony techniques. He thought technologies could improve meaningful interactions and empower singles in order to satisfy their particular future life associates, but there had been no goods serving their area or approaching considerably conventional social norms,” the business explained in a statement.

Fit people was obtaining the Egyptian startup to provide 33 region in Asia and MENA having a sizable Muslim inhabitants. Harmonica’s small group of 12 full time staff members (like the founders) was joining the American organization included in the acquisition and certainly will apparently work at an English software as well as Harmonica presently keeps an Arabic-only application. Harmonica, per declaration, will remain headquartered in Cairo, with Sameh Saleh continuing as CEO. It’s going to be complement Group’s first workplace in the centre eastern.

The American company with this specific acquisition is going to be facing various (reasonably smaller) members which were attempting to solve the trouble of online dating sites for Muslims, with YC-backed Muzmatch that recently lifted $7 million collection the, becoming many prominent any.

Sameh Saleh, co-founder and CEO of Harmonica, mentioned, “2 years back, we launched Harmonica with your siblings, cousins, and family planned, aided by the aim of helping them come across an ideal companion. It actually was vital that that which we built got something to shield them and portray the principles which our neighborhood cares profoundly in regards to. It was also essential that our mothers would be more comfortable with them utilizing our app.”

“We have now already facilitated numerous marriages simply in Egypt and think that with Match people’s huge event, you will find interesting possibilities ahead,” he included.

Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of fit class, mentioned, “As we think of international development and growth, you will find big populations of young singles — largely across Asia as well as the Middle East — that’ll be trying to find their unique lifetime partners in the near future, hence aren’t precisely served by Western merchandise”

“The Harmonica team is not just wise and revolutionary, but has established an incredibly classified and technologically amazing merchandise that, although early-stage, certainly comprehends the requirements of this community. We think we have receive fantastic talent, with local expertise and ideas that will help united states furthermore succeed in our very own intercontinental development approach,” she extra.

Harmonica was actually backed 500 Startups (it was element of their particular international accelerator) and Flat6Labs Cairo. Both investors with this purchase posses completely exited the Egyptian business. Simple fact is that very first high-profile exit for Flat6Labs, one of many oldest and respected accelerators of area.

Ramez El-Serafy, President of Flat6Labs, posting comments from the occasion, said, “From day one we have now got a great amount of trust in Harmonica’s talented group, and their honestly revolutionary relationship matchmaking software; and then, we are thrilled that complement cluster was revealing alike self-confidence in move forward with this specific amazing price. This price signifies the most important biggest Flat6Labs exit with big returns on expense in just over twelve months.”

Harmonica previously this season had also joined up with technologies advancement and Entrepreneurship middle’s incubation plan. The startup got graduated from TIEC’s incubator final period.

Update – Aug 8 escort service in bridgeport, 2019 – 11:50 AM GMT: the storyline had been updated to echo that Harmonica have signed up with TIEC’s incubation system previously this season.