"The customers are demanding change dating"

Launched in July , the dating site Smartdate concluded a second round of € 3.5 million. Its founder says the key to its success.

JDN . You just wear your second fundraising within four months? How did you choose your investors ?
Fabrice Le Parc . I opted for the proposal stone Koscuisko -Morizet and Pierre Krings through their holding Kernel because they are entrepreneurs. They know the issues emerging companies in this sector and do not require us to be profitable immediately , unlike many investment funds. We have preferred to fund Venture Capitalists . They will not have an operational role in the development of Smartdate , however I can easily ask their advice. Our agreement is very good.

What developments do you have planned with these new funds ?
We will use these funds to acquire membership in Western Europe and the United States, via the online advertising. We are currently undergoing testing in the United States and visibly conversion rates deed of purchase are stronger in France . Culturally, the U.S. and European markets are quite similar. However , the U.S. market does not pose the problem of the diversity of languages ​​. Finally, there are more players overseas , but the market is also wider .

Since your launch in July , what is your growth rate ?
We know an exponential growth rate. Today we have about 800,000 members, with a recruitment rate of approximately 15 000 new registrations per day . In terms of unique visitors , today we are 8 million per month.

How do you explain such a takeoff on an already crowded market ?
The market is not new, but users who are interested in dating sites like to change. They are seeking new products and new concepts. Or Smartdate offers a more ergonomic and modern product . In particular, we propose a tool that optimizes search for contacts, " SmartMatch " . This is a search engine as often use e-commerce sites or sites like Pandora or iTunes Genius with his tool. The tastes of the users are refined as and when their research. In the area of ​​online dating , it is still rarely used .

What does the inclusion of an option Facebook Connect to your site ?
We considered two strong trends. The first is the power of social networks. Facebook Connect allows our members to import their data from the social network. They can discover singles in networks of friends. But unlike Thread.com site , which already proposed this Smartdate proposes to amend the information from their Facebook profile. They are not obliged to remain in the same database of friends . Zoosk , another competitor, offers a link to Facebook but they do not have our level of technology. Users must install an application on Facebook . However, they are more important than us because they have three years in advance.
The second trend is that of mobile . We will soon launch a mobile application. This responds to a strong interest from our customers. The option geolocation contacts will however opt-in to preserve the privacy of profiles.

What is your business model? Are you close to profitability?
We offer a subscription model with three options: 50 euros for a month, 80 euros for three months and 150 euros for a period of 12 months. Each of these rates was chosen by about one-third of members. These are the prices we proposed at the beginning but will eventually evolve depending on the application. We do not do advertising . Regarding profitability, we do in fact very far . Our turnover is multiplied by two or three every month since launch.


Fabrice Le Parc, 32 , graduated from HEC Paris , is the founder and CEO of Smartdate . He has worked in many start -up before participating in 2003 in two reality shows on the theme of the meeting : "Operation Seduction " and " The Bachelorette " in the United States. In 2006 , he launched the dating site Be2 in France and Benelux. Development Smartdate in 2010, he has surrounded himself with a team of 25 people.