Between, a mobile private social network for couples, has hit 1.75 million downloads. We last heard about the South Korean startup at Echelon 2012, where it announced a tally of 700,000 downloads, out of which 60% were active users.
These figures certainly indicate an impressive growth rate for the app, which more than doubled in downloads after just 5 months. According to Edward Lee, co-founder of Between, the app has managed to convert 80% of downloads into users, while maintaining its 60% active user rate. That would mean the app has about 840k monthly active users — giving Between reason to be optimistic. Read more
LoveByte is spurned no more. After receiving little love from investors, the startup, which has developed a private social network for lovers, received a 6-figure seed funding from Crystal Horse Investments and Ruvento Ventures.
The investment, announced by the startup today, was made as part of i.JAM Reload, a Singapore government co-investment scheme. Wish Ronquillo, creative director at mig33, has come on board as LoveByte’s advisor. The funds will be used to accelerate the startup’s operations and growth in the next six to nine months. With over 20,000 users already, the investment would go some way towards paying for server costs, and more besides.
Steve Sng, founder of LoveByte, noted the support of incubator space Plug-In@Blk71 while his team was bootstrapping. It provided hot desks, a supportive and helpful community, as well as open pitch sessions for startups.
As part of Google for Entrepreneurs Week, held on 23-29 September 2012, Google Singapore is holding a varsity challenge where students aim to solve real-life challenges based on those faced by Singapore startups GoMyWay and LoveByte.
The case competition, to be held on 29 September, will involve 20 teams from 3 local universities: SMU, NUS, and NTU. Participants will be judged on creativity, coherence, and presentation of their proposals. Read more
Update (23rd August, 1:53pm): Steve has told us that they have surpassed 20,000 downloads
As a startup that’s all about strengthening relationships, LoveByte certainly didn’t get much affection from investors. Few thought that there was a need for another private social network for lovers, and those few didn’t believe in it enough to put their money where their mouth is.
But the app went on to get 20,000 downloads in just under 3 weeks, an impressive figure by any standard. It topped the Lifestyle category in the Singapore App Store for days, breaking into the Top 25 overall to beat popular apps like WeChat and Instagram.
The journey for Steve Sng, who thought of the idea, had been rough.
As a Founder Institute (FI) Singapore student, he pitched LoveByte to FI founder Adeo Ressi, who was unimpressed by it. He said that the market is too small and challenged him with the question of how to get a million users. Read more
Patai (trophy in hand) flanked by the judges.
Builk is the winner of this year’s Echelon Launchpad. The Thai startup is a professional social network for the construction industry that doubles as a construction management web app.
Ten startups each had their turn in the cauldron at Echelon 2012′s pitch competition. Definitely a highlight among attendees, the Launchpad had put startups under the intense spotlight as they pitch and try to impress both the sophisticated crowd and inscrutable judges.
During Builk’s pitch, principal and co-founder Patai Padungtin shared that 1,400 construction firms have already registered with Builk since their launch in 2010.
(Read: Builk walks where few tech startups tread: Changing the construction industry)
He also revealed that they plan to expand to Indonesia, Vietnam, and Australia, and add new modules to Builk, such as the ability to collect pre-construction information from contractors. Read more
Filed under Featured, Innovation & Technology, News, TechnologyTags: Beaver Lake Capital, Between, builk, couple social networks, David Patterson, E27, Echelon, echelon 2012, Edgar Hardless, Global Brain, golden gate ventures, iGlobe Partners, michel birnbaum, Singapore, Singtel Innov8, South Korea, Thailand, Vincent Lauria, Yasuhiko Yurimoto, Zia Zaman
A version of this article first appeared on beSUCCESS.
If you’re among those who think that social networking is becoming too noisy and intrusive, then here is a solution to communicate with your partner in a private, intimate way.
Between is an app developed by South Korean startup VCNC. It provides a quick chat option between couples, a photo album and messaging functions.
Although there are other similar mobile apps gaining popularity, Between is by far the most successful based on the number of downloads. It was judged the best mobile app at the TNW Conference in Amsterdam and they won second place in The Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) 2012 G-Startup Competition held in Beijing. Read more
Share this: