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Have you recently hit pause on your love life? Well, Lyft and Tinder believe it’s time to put moves on your dating prospects while putting them on the move. In an unanticipated yet innovative matchup, the companies partnered on Oct.7 for a new Lyft feature that allows Tinder users to send their date a Lyft ride, according to a Lyft blog post. Outside continues to open back up and the dating app and transportation app have teamed up to assist getting real life connections back in action. “The seamlessly integrated feature encourages thoughtful gestures for those ready to get back out there and meet someone new,” Lyft shared. First impressions are crucial to securing a second date and the two apps are helping their users come in strong into the dating world in regards to in-person dating. This latest feature can be accessed through Tinder’s new Explore hub — where users can now buy a Lyft ride credit for their match to transport them to their special date. The feature’s steps are...
From campaigns celebrating what “ Black Love Is ” to its “ Taking Care of Everyone in Our Community ” pledge, popular dating app Tinder has worked to ensure all members in its community have the opportunity to connect and be seen. For its Black members particularly, the company is committed to making sure their voices are heard. And that work is being done internally as well. Tinder aims to be supportive and empower Black employees to bring their authentic selves to the table at all times. Even with significant strides in inclusion and culture, Tinder has recognized that its Black employees are not a monolith. This makes it even more important to elevate and listen to voices that bring in a wealth of experience from all walks of life and backgrounds. We recently sat down with three Black professionals and leaders from the employee resource group Black at Tinder (B@T) to discuss how they’re influencing their communities, how their work at Tinder allows them to make an impact for the...
Humans aren’t meant to be alone. Though many of us enjoy our own company, we’re social creatures — something leading dating app Tinder has successfully learned to harness. Tinder is the premier place to date and meet new people. As we discussed in “Tinder Takes a Stand,” Tinder has been reinvesting in the people who make the organization shine in an era of change by utilizing conferences, inclusive culture training, panels and mental health initiatives. A true OG in dating apps, diversity and inclusion are principles that have long guided Tinder’s progress. In a step to address bias when matching profiles early on, Tinder broke away from the norm by challenging members to see beyond labels. The company says, “Inclusivity is in Tinder’s product DNA because we believe no one should be defined by the box they check.” “That’s why we don’t, and never have, used filters to match. We don’t ask or use factors like race, religion or political affiliation, because we believe demographics do...
In our current world of online connections and virtual meetups, popular dating app Tinder is no stranger to bringing people together. The platform has found success by offering choices and allowing members to connect with others who are also seeking new possibilities. Now, Tinder is fostering new connections with a commitment to driving diversity, equality and inclusion within the company and highlighting initiatives in the Black community. Realizing the importance of these efforts, Tinder is amplifying and increasing the voices of employees of color — and the voices of others in the same communities as its members. Tinder is powered by people who want to get things done. In this spirit, the company went to the drawing board and began crafting solutions of its own. Eager to make an impact, Tinder has focused on investing in inclusive culture training, internal panels, conferences and, most importantly, mental health advocacy. Inclusive Culture Training Tinder has done the important...
Tinder — the online-dating app — has had its share of updates looking to attract younger users. Now the company is trying to makes it way into the music festival market. Its latest update, Festival Mode, helps people find other festival attendees in their area. The feature allows people to name which upcoming festival they will be attending through badges and match with other people who plan on attending. This helps people find a group before stepping foot on festival grounds. So far, Festival Mode is only available for EDC Las Vegas, Hangout Music Fest, All Points East Governors Ball, Parklife, Bonnaroo, Firefly, and a list of other U.K.- based festivals. But who knows, it may expand to popular festivals like Afropunk The Roots Picnic, and Broccoli City Fest. Users get access to the badges about three weeks prior to each event. People who use Tinder’s Festival Mode will also have the chance to get access to exclusive VIP upgrades, swag, and more. Festival Mode is pretty similar to...
Tyler Perry and Taraji P. Henson promoted their new film Acrimony in a hilarious Tinder takeover video with Vanity Fair. In the video, Perry and Henson takeover two Tinder accounts, and try to get each user a date. Both of the award-winning artists said they never used Tinder before, and were surprised to learn just how it works. Swiping for Devin, their male contestant, Perry found little to approve of, looking at one young woman's picture and commenting, "Anytime you are blowing in a picture you are sending subliminal messages." The duo quickly swiped left on multiple profile pictures, continuing their hilarious commentary, noting that one girl looked like she just got out of jail. However, one lucky girl, Pooja, they really liked. Sadly, they didn't know how to work the app, and swiped left on Pooja by mistake. "Pooja if you are out there find Devin," Henson said. Things didn't go much more smoothly when they took over the account of their female contestant, Tori. Henson...
Racial Equity in the workplace is more than just a “buzzword” for Coqual and their new initiative, the Black Equity Index (BEI) . It’s a legitimate metric that Coqual — who commissioned the Index — hopes will spark what they’re calling “systemic, sustainable change” in corporate America. Black men and women in corporate America are well aware of racial disparities in the workplace — and unfortunately, they aren’t strangers to being the “lonely only” in the boardroom. What the Black Equity Index — an independent and credible benchmark — hopes to do is “provide greater accountability for companies and their leadership teams,” with the proviso that they have tangible benchmarks to improve their equity efforts year over year. Coqual launches the Black Equity Index today! This new initiative is designed to drive systemic, sustainable change for Black professionals in the workplace. Learn more at https://t.co/3YbohPjOOn https://t.co/qgbeQBYWYN pic.twitter.com/LtdU6etGhW — Coqual...
HUNGRY first got a taste of the spotlight back in March 2020, at the start of what was supposed to be just a few weeks of a lockdown. At that time, the app got celebrity investors in the form of Jay-Z, several NFL players and comedian Kevin Hart in their Series B funding, which ultimately raised $20 million. But the looming threat of the pandemic weighed heavily on the founders’ minds. “Starting a business, in and of itself, is a daunting prospect,” co-CEO Shy Pahlevani told AfroTech. “But now, imagine starting a business — in the food service industry — at the start of the pandemic. We knew we were taking a gamble. But it’s a gamble we were willing to take, and it was one that paid off in the end.” The HUNGRY app works sort of the way Tinder does, in that it matches professional chefs with catering jobs. And the Series B funding wasn’t the first time that Hova’s Marcy Ventures Fund invested in the business — as AfroTech previously reported, the venture fund participated in the...
There’s not a festival around that’s doing it like ONE MusicFest. The festival space may be filled with a line-up of people who look like us, but it’s rare that we are the ones with ownership of the events that are taking place. As one of the only Black-owned live music events across the nation, co-founder and chief marketing officer of the event, J. Carter has managed to find massive success thanks to partnerships with global brands like adidas, BMW, Heineken, and more. Although he’s succeeding in the festival space, Carter tells Black Tech Green Money’s Will Lucas some of the challenges that come with being one of the only Black entrepreneurs in the industry. “I first had the concept and idea back in ’08 and so the first thing that I do is look for mentorship,” Carter explained. “As the owner of two clubs, with one that’s more of a live music venue, entering the festival space was a different monster and I needed to figure out how to maneuver through it all and I couldn’t really...
DaBaby’s recent remarks came with a heavy price! The rapper, born Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, has been under fire since his insensitive remarks about HIV/AIDS during his set at Miami’s Rolling Loud festival. According to Variety, the remarks were followed by disdain from the LGBTQ+ community, and fans of DaBaby began to accuse the rapper of being homophobic. Rather than an apology, the “Bop” emcee took to his social media to double down on his statements which not only further enraged fans but were just as homophobic as his remarks made during Rolling Loud. After further digging his own grave, DaBaby was met with cancelations of festivals one by one beginning with Lollapalooza — a festival he was set to headline. “Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love,” read the announcement. “With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight.” He was replaced with Young Thug, who was scheduled to perform during an earlier slot. The Chicago-based...
As countries begin to vaccinate their populations, businesses will begin to reopen. With those re-openings, and the jobs that will be restored in their wake, the economy will gradually begin to make up lost ground. As workers are rehired and incomes begin to grow, so too will consumer confidence. And both mass vaccinations and rising consumer confidence will also allow us to begin to venture out again and be social once again, which ill provided ballast to the ailing hospitality, outdoor recreation, travel, and restaurant sectors. Some businesses are better positioned to take advantage of these expected developments than others. If you’re looking to invest in stocks sure to surge when the economy reopens, look no further than these five stocks. Expedia The biggest company in travel-related search and bookings, Expedia’s stock should grow nicely as consumers begin to travel more frequently. The company owns large players in the online booking space like Orbitz, Travelocity, and...
Black love is typically just seen through the lens of romance. But for BLK, their platform is created to be a loving space for the Black community, no matter their reason for joining. Of course, the Match Group extension, which launched in 2017, is primarily a place for Black singles to connect and potentially find a life partner, but BLK is also a hub for enlightening conversations around social issues and a space to reaffirm the Black American experience. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, BLK launched “Once You Go BLK” campaign, a celebration of the unlimited potential of Black love. The initiative showcases the journeys of BLK users and small business owners to acknowledge how real people date. “Once You Go BLK embraces the culture of the Black community, while also shedding light on important community topics from state violence to supporting Black-owned businesses,” said Jonathan Kirkland, Head of Marketing & Brand for BLK. “Our ambition for this campaign is to foster more...
“As a Black queer man in tech I never really was invited to have a seat at the table,” shares Rhett Lindsey, former Facebook and Tinder recruiter making waves in Silicon Valley through his new app. Siimee (see-me) is a new recruiting platform designed to help job seekers and employers by focusing on who people are, not what they are in order to change a system that needs work when it comes to hiring people from all walks of life. Lindsey joined us via Zoom and shared his passion for getting HR & Recruiting right through his new platform, where companies get it wrong in the hiring process, and what about building something from the ground up brings him joy. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Siimee™️ (@siimee_app) AfroTech: What inspired you to create Siimee? Rhett Lindsey: I wanted to build an inclusive platform, specifically in a tech startup environment that truly focuses on recruitment, outreach, and job...
Companies are taking a closer look at the makeup of their organization: Is it diverse? Is it inclusive? According to a news release from SurveyMonkey, these questions (and answers, perhaps) motivated the software company to join forces with a team of top-tier tech companies to increase diversity and inclusion with vendor organizations. The companies driving this new initiative are frequently used businesses, including 23andMe, Chime, Eventbrite, Genesys, Headspace, Intuit, PagerDuty , Slack, Tinder, Upwork, and Zoom, among other major groups. “Improving diversity, equity, and inclusion is an industry-wide challenge for the technology sector,” said Zander Lurie, CEO of SurveyMonkey. “We have work to do within our own businesses to become anti-racist. We also want to help upend the systemic bias we know still exists in the broader business community. This new initiative enables us to turn diversity, equity, and inclusion into a business metric that will drive accountability in the...
From the late 90s and throughout the 2000s, Director X has made himself a household name in the music video game. Videos from some of your favorite artists such as Jay-Z, Aaliyah, Chris Brown, Drake, and many more have all received the Director X stamp. He’s become an icon for his skills behind the camera, but also for his conscious effort to break the racial stereotypes in Hollywood and highlighting Black women of all shades. The well-established director is now switching gears and bringing his expertise to film to debut his new short film titled, “Black Love Is, ” a documentary that explores the nuanced view and expression of Black Love. The short film, in partnership with Tinder , features detailed first-person accounts that reflect on Black people and their romantic relationships. Each person they spoke with for the film had their own unique experiences to share, speaking to the depth behind “Black Love Is .” The inspiration behind this short film comes from Director X’s desire...