Bumble to expand to India with the help of actress Priyanka Chopra
The app, which is similar to other dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, allows women to choose which men they want to date.
Bumble, the latest dating app in India, is a new online dating service that competes for women's hearts.
Bumble, a dating app that requires women to initiate the conversation, announced plans to launch its Indian version later this year. Priyanka, an Indian celebrity and new investor, will provide advice on the expansion.
This news comes just a few days after Tinder, a rival dating app in India, launched the My Move feature that allows women to stop men from starting a conversation.
Bumble has been working on expanding in India for some time. Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, said that Chopra told her months ago "Indian women need Bumble". Chopra was one of a group high-profile women that helped Bumble launch its networking app Bumble Bizz in October 2017.
In an email to CNN, Wolfe Herd said: "It became clear that we both shared a passion in empowering women around the world." "We then began to architect a plan for Bumble's launch in India."
Wolfe Herd stated that the biggest challenge to entering the Indian market was "localizing experience and attracting females" -- a field in which Chopra can help.
Anjula Acharia is Chopra's manager and also a investor and advisor. Acharia helped Chopra, who was already well-established in India, reach fame in the US. Acharia's crossover efforts are not new. She introduced artists like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears to India. This background could help Acharia make Bumble more appealing to the Indian audience.
Bumble's app for India will be available in Hindi and Hinglish, a hybrid of Hindi and English. It is also compatible with iOS and Android. The app will introduce new safety features prior to entering the region which is known for its violence against women. India was named as the most dangerous place in the world for women to live.
Wolfe Herd has announced that it will require Indian women only to provide their first initial -- not first or last name -- and to provide new ways of reporting "bad behavior" within the app.
Bumble has already implemented photo verification and there are more than 4,000 moderators that review profiles and photos.
Wolfe Herd, who was a Tinder executive and early employee before Bumble, left the company after filing a lawsuit for sexual harassment and racism in 2014. The case was ultimately settled.
The tension between Tinder and Bumble has increased as a result a very public lawsuit between Match Group and Bumble.
Match Group sued Bumble in March for patent infringement, and trade secret theft. Bumble requested dismissal of the case last week.
Bumble has also filed a counter-suit against Match Group. Bumble claims that Match Group uses litigation to avenge failed acquisition talks. Both lawsuits continue.
India, which Bumble operates in more than 160 countries already, is an important market due to its size. A report by Bain & Co states that India has 390 millions internet users. This is the second-largest number of any country after China.