The French alternative to Tinder just raised $14 million
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Alven Capital, DN Capital, Raine Ventures and business angels such as Fabrice Grinda, David Wolfson and Gil Penchina took part in the round. The company raised $8 million (£5.2 million) back in February.
Happn lets you get in touch with strangers you might have liked the look of when walking down the street, queueing for a coffee, or riding the bus, but didn't get the chance (or have the courage) to speak to in person. As an alternative to Tinder, it's supposed to bring some serendipity back to dating.
That idea seems to be going down well. Founder Didier Rappaport told Business Insider UK in February that the app had 700,000 monthly active users. Today it has 6 million users in 25 cities around the world, and expects to reach 10 million by the end of the year. TechCrunch writes that the company could move into Asia next - we've reached out to Happn to confirm.
Here's how Rappaport explained Happn to Business Insider earlier this year:
Happn puts the romanticism and spontaneity back into dating. You can use it when you meet someone and want to see them again. Or maybe you see them all the time but have never been able to say hello. Perhaps she/he works in the same area, or you met her at a party. You can discover the people around you. You might meet someone on the train and want to talk to them, but can't. Happn isn't a game. It's enriching. There's room for experimentation.
Happn's German rival Spotted raised a $14.5 million (£9.5 million) Series A round last month. Spotted was launched in 2013, so actually predates Happn. But the French app has grown more quickly that its German counterpart, which had a million users in August with around 3,000 downloads a day.