Crossbox Inc has acquired mobile video dating app Flikdate, and changed their name to FlikMedia.
The newly formed FlikMedia is a “digital media company focused on designing, developing and bringing to market proprietary and patented video applications for use on mobile platforms.”
Flikdate, one of the first video dating apps, lets users chat to potential dates with 90 seconds video calls, and “flik” away anyone they don’t like.
They have set up a virtual currency of “fliks”, which users buy in order to swipe through other members – each swipe costing one flik.
The CEO of FlikMedia and FlikDate, Nick Bicanic, said:
“We believe existing legacy subscription business model does not optimize revenue or user experience in the mobile environment.
“Our Flikdate technology has been engineered for a clearly defined transactional revenue model to enable us to avoid a subscription based model entirely, through the sale of a virtual currency called ‘Fliks.’
“’Fliking’ is designed to increase user engagement by being more like a game. We believe the ‘gamification’ of dating is important to expanding our potential market audience and our revenue generating capabilities.”
It currently costs £0.69/$0.99 to add 25 fliks on the Apple Store
You also get 25 fliks free when you sign up, and earn an extra flik for every 10 minutes of use.
CEO Nick Bicanic believes their technology and monetisation model will allow the video communication app to expand beyond the dating industry.
Bicanic created Google Ventures-backed location-sharing app echoecho, along with producing and directing acclaimed documentary Shadow Company.
He is joined at executive level by Oliver Chaine, who was VP of LowerMyBills.com, which was sold to Experian in 2005.
FlikMedia’s CTO is Arben Kryeziu, co-founder and investment committee member of mBloom, a Hawaii tech fund, who invested in the app in June.