Badoo-Backed Social App Huggle Launches In London, Matches Users On Where They Go
Released last month, Huggle’s aim is to make meeting online safer and more relevant, by matching users based on where they go and what they do.
The lifestyle app does this by filtering matches based on the places they have visited, what they like to do and what their interests are, rather than just current location.
The product lets you connect with people who visit the same places, as well as the venues and establishments you have in common.
Speaking about how they came up with the idea for the app, co-founder Valerie Stark said: “Myself and Stina co-founded the app as we were tired of social apps that connected people based on appearance alone. So we went out of our way to change this.”
And Huggle believes its focus on lifestyle and actual offline meetings makes it less likely the app will become a breeding ground for inappropriate behaviour.
Stark explains: “Huggle stands away from appearance matching and connects users to like-minded people who go to the same places.
“Recently, Huggle was praised for its safety features, as the app prevents online harassment. Something that happens to many people online and offline.
“On Huggle users are less likely to send rude messages to those who go to the same places as them, and with our photo verification and hyper-local technology, this also stops fake users and check-ins.”
And although Sanders & Stark are co-founders of Huggle, a company filing from 21st April 2016 shows that the company appears to be owned by Badoo, with Badoo Trading Limited named as the company’s only shareholder.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Badoo founder Andrey Andreev owned a massive 79% stake in another mobile company, Bumble, something Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe said had allowed the company to use Badoo’s “wealth of experience” to help the app grow.
And Andreev’s backing of Huggle, a product he described as “unique”, will stand the app in good stead as it looks to cement itself in London.
Huggle is now available on iOS, Android and Windows here.
