Teamo.ru, a Russian dating website with over a million users, has attracted investment from United Managers Japan, Inc, via its UMJ Russia Fund. While UMJ’s investment amount is not clear, the total investment amount for the company to date sits at $2 million.
We’re not especially familiar with the Russian dating service niche (although it sounds fun) but Teamo.ru is certainly packaged a little differently than you might expect. It’s billed as a service for ‘serious relationship seekers,’ perhaps in an effort to differentiate from the many hook-up services online. Teamo.ru uses 17 characteristics to match up its users, with the aim being to “help them build strong and harmonious relationships.”
As for UMJ’s interest, Yusuke Otsubo, the managing partner for the Russia fund explained:
Our interest in Teamo.ru is fueled due to two main reasons: First, is the huge potential of Russia’s online market for serious dating services and second is Teamo.ru’s leadership in the segment. We have always been attracted to companies that have first-mover advantage in a new business segments and Teamo.ru fits the bill.
It’s interesting to compare Teamo.ru with Chinese dating site Jiayuan.com (NASDAQ:DATE), which — while marketed as a similarly ‘serious’ wedding site — has come under fire from local media, one newspaper calling it “China’s largest one-night stand platform. Another Chinese dating site, Baihe, has gone with a real-name registration approach in order to reassure users searching for serious relationship candidates.
