Kolkata-based dating app Flutrr has announced a new round of funding, including an investment from renowned actress Huma Qureshi. Flutrr, which supports six Indian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, and Bengali), aims to bridge the gap for non-English speakers in Tier II and Tier III cities, fostering meaningful connections rooted in shared linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Breaking Barriers in Bharat
India ranks as the fifth-largest market for dating apps globally, with a growing number of young Indians from smaller towns embracing online dating. However, many popular dating apps predominantly operate in English, creating a barrier for users who are not fluent in the language. Flutrr aims to overcome this challenge by offering its platform in major Indian languages. “Small-town India, colloquially known as ‘Bharat’, boasts around 650 million youth who lack English fluency. However, the ‘Jio Effect’ has brought affordable internet access to even the remotest corners of the nation, leveling the digital playing field. Flutrr is pioneering this change by offering a dating app available in major Indian languages, enabling young individuals to connect with potential romantic partners in their native tongues,” said Kaushik Banerjee, Co-Founder and CEO of Flutrr.
Impressive Funding and Future Prospects
The startup has successfully raised Rs 2 crore in funding from Huma Qureshi and other angel investors, including former Global CMO of Hoechst and Merck Sandeep Bhattacharya and Director of PayPal USA Yogesh Mishra. To date, Flutrr has secured approximately $750,000 (Rs 6.5 crore) from notable investors, including the Times of India, The Chennai Angels, and top-level executives from Google, SAP, Microsoft, and DBS. “Huma’s investment propels us toward becoming a pan-India success story from Kolkata. We’re thrilled to welcome a strong woman like Huma to the Flutrr family,” said Kaushik. “Huma has always taken up strong feminist roles in her career. And as a women-centric app, we couldn’t be more excited to have her on board,” added Anirban, Co-Founder and CMO.
Innovative Features and User Safety
Available for both Android and iOS users, Flutrr operates on a pay-per-use monetization model with micro-transactions. Users can purchase premium features like profile boosts and likes without subscribing to a plan. The app also prioritizes user safety with features such as face recognition algorithms, mobile number verification, private mode messaging, and a kill switch to erase chats from the receiver’s device. Additionally, video calls have a blur filter, and screenshots are disabled to protect users’ privacy. Users can also activate ‘ghost mode’ to hide their exact location.
Engagement and Growth
Flutrr has introduced several features to enhance user engagement. The ‘finderr’ feature allows users to showcase content similar to Instagram or TikTok. Other features include love quotes, music, and a gifting option to incentivize active participation. “Our app is initiating a gifting culture by introducing coupons that reward users for sending more likes and messages on our platform. This incentivizes our users to engage more actively with our app,” explained Anirban.
Aiming for Profitability
Flutrr is targeting the growing online dating industry in India, expected to reach $69.90 million in 2024. Currently, 72% of its users are from Tier II and smaller towns, with a match rate of 8.58%, significantly higher than the 2-3% match rate of English dating apps in the top 30 cities of India. With over 400,000 active users and nearing 1 million downloads, Flutrr generates a monthly revenue of Rs 20-21 lakh. The startup is on track to be profitable by the end of 2024 and aims to reach 5-6 million users within the next 12 months. Additionally, they plan to make tech hires in the coming year.
