Match Group Invests $100 Million into Gay Cruising App Sniffies, Faces Backlash

Looks like the hookup application Sniffies might be getting some major coin thrown their way.

Earlier this week, Match Group (MTCH.O), one of the largest online dating companies in the world, housing juggernaut dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, Match.com, and Plenty of Fish, announced it would be investing $100 million in the dating platform, which is geared toward ​non-heterosexual men.

The 8-figure deal is set to give the company a substantial minority stake, along with the option to acquire the remaining equity at a later date.

In the press release announcing the investment Chief Executive Officer of Match Group Spencer Rascoff revealed talks with Sniffies began a year ago.

“It was clear they had a deep understanding of their users and a strong point of view on how its community actually connects – in a way that’s honest and unapologetic,” he said.

He continued saying, “That conviction has only strengthened over time as we’ve seen how thoughtfully they’ve built the product. There’s also clear and growing demand in this space, and Sniffies feels genuinely different and authentic to its audience. We’re excited to support the founders as they continue to build on their vision.”

Despite Match Group’s hefty investment, Sniffies will continue to operate independently under its founders, while Match Group supports its expansion.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Match Group, based in Dallas, Texas, acquired a budding company in the dating application space. It used this strategy before with Hinge, investing in the company in 2017 before taking full ownership of it in 2018.

“This investment allows us to keep building for our community while staying true to what makes Sniffies unique,” said Blake Gallagher, Founder and CEO of Sniffies. “From day one, our focus has been on creating a product that reflects what our users are looking for, and that won’t change. With Match Group’s support, we can move faster on improving the product and expanding our network, while continuing to invest in Trust & Safety and giving our users more of what they’re looking for.”

If you’re living under a heterosexual rock and don’t know what Sniffies is, it’s like Grindr’s edgier, low-key younger sibling. Each month, nearly 3 million users from around the world visit the site, sending 20 million messages from the app sent daily.

Originally established by Gallegher, a former architect, in 2017 and publicly launched in 2018, Sniffies is not your typical dating app, giving users a more cruise-like experience where users can see who’s nearby.

While Sniffies is loved amongst its users who appreciate the app’s private and underground vibe, it has faced its fair share of criticism.

Last year, the app was removed from the Apple App Store due to concerns over “explicit sexual content,” as some of its cruising-style features were found to be in violation of Apple’s guidelines.

Other concerns include location privacy risks, data storage and protection practices, and whether the anonymity features many users rely on are fully reliable.

The latter is seemingly a big concern for many users following the announcement of Match Group’s alliance with Sniffies. Some call the partnership the “straightication” of the app.

On a Reddit thread titled “Bye Bye sniffies?” users poured in with their reactions. One user wrote “Guessing the founder wants his share of the pie so he’s selling out lol. Watch him buy a $10 million house within six months.”

Another said, “I am so tired of corporate monopiles. They don’t see money in Sniffies, they just hate that there is one not owned by them or their buddies.”

In response to the backlash Gallagher took to Sniffies official blog writing, “Sniffies will always be the unapologetic cruising platform we know and love. Sniffies leadership is staying the same, founder-led.”

He continued saying, “We’re not moving away from what makes Sniffies work: openness and directness. We’re continuing to build around real-world connection, with the same focus on immediacy, discovery, and exploration that got us here.”

Match Group’s strong portfolio of dating apps positions it as an ideal partner to help grow Sniffies into a serious competitor to existing gay hookup platforms like Grindr and Jack’d.