Lumen, a dating app for over 50s, has raised £3.5m from Andrey Andreev, the founder of Badoo.
Launching in the UK today, Lumen was co-founded by Antoine Argouges and Charly Lester.
Andreev commented on the investment, saying: “Do a search of the phrase ‘over 50s dating’. The results that come up are embarrassing for the industry. The over-50s have been mistreated by the dating sites for years. I’m excited to see the Lumen team launching an app which finally listens to this audience and specifically targets their issues and needs.”
Lumen will be free, available to download on iOS and Android. All users will be required to upload a selfie and verify their identity.
Argouges, also the CEO, added: “The majority of single over-50s we know are tech-savvy, active, and looking for their next adventure. But this isn’t the reality we see reflected in the dating industry.
“Lumen finally provides a contemporary solution which over-50s can rely on to meet like-mind people,” he added.
Lester, the CMO, went on to note: “Over the years people have often asked me where their single parents should be dating, and I used to genuinely struggle to find an answer. In Lumen we have created a space which embodies the values of our over-50s audience, and built the type of community we would happily recommend to our friends’ parents.”