Popular UK-based startup Thursday has announced it raised £2.5 million from its first official funding round.
Two weeks ago, co-founder George Rawlings publicly promised to raise £1.25 million in just 10 days. However, that total was reportedly surpassed within four and the team eventually closed the period after successfully doubling their target.
Thursday works to combat the feeling of dating fatigue that has become an issue on a number of mainstream platforms. It aims to prevent time wasting by only working one day a week and encouraging matches to meet in person just a few hours later.
The round received contributions from several firms including Ascension Ventures, Connection Ventures and Best Nights VC, the investment arm of Jägermeister. Monzo Bank founder Tom Blomfield was also involved as an angel.
Rawlings told The Times: “People are swiping for the sake of getting a dopamine hit, but the interest wasn’t going anywhere.
“Instead of just swiping through a catalogue of people, which isn’t a novelty anymore, Thursday removes some of the admin required with modern dating. It makes dating exciting again.”
Thursday was officially launched in London and New York City in May, accumulating over 50,000 downloads. Last week, both cities combined for a total of 7,500 users matching in the single day.
The new funds will be put towards making several senior hires and expanding into approximately 30 new cities across Europe.
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