In Sochi, People Are Using Matchmaking App Tinder Like Crazy Tinder CEO Sean Rad reports a 400 percent increase in new users since the Olympics started last week
By Nina Zipkin
It looks like matchmaking app Tinder is having a great Valentine's Day this year, all thanks to the Olympics.
CEO Sean Rad told The Wall Street Journal that Tinder has seen a 400 percent increase in new users since the Winter Games began on Friday.
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The service is available in 24 different languages, making it fairly ideal for Sochi's high-density Olympic Village, which is currently playing host to athletes and coaches from 88 nations, and volunteers and spectators from all over the world.
Tinder reports that 500 million profile ratings are made each day and some 600 million matches were made in 2013. The app takes information from Facebook to connect users with friends and proximity in common. If both people swipe to the right on their mobile devices, Tinder allows them to video chat.
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While the company doesn't have a way of knowing eaxctly what percentage of the new users are athletes, competitors like gold medal winner Jamie Anderson, a Team USA snowboarder and the trio of American skiers who swept the slopestyle competition, Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper, all owned up to using the app.
Tinder was launched in 2012, and is owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp, the same company that also owns other online dating platforms like Match.com, OkCupid and the European MeeticGroup.
