Badoo founder backs London startup with a new dating app for over 50s

Badoo founder Andrey Andreev has invested £3.5m into a new dating app for singles over 50, built by a London startup with former Guardian dating editor Charly Lester and app developer Antoine Argouges at the helm.

Launching today in the UK, Lumen has put security at the centre of its operation by requiring all users to upload a selfie as part of the verification process. That photo is then checked by an algorithm against the other profile photos provided by the user.

Andreev said he chose to back the startup as it targets an industry blackspot that has often been the subject of mistreatment by other dating sites.

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“Do a search of the phrase ‘over 50s dating’,” he said. “The results that come up are embarrassing for the industry.”

Andreev also backed popular app Bumble when it first launched, and owns a stake in gay dating app Chappy.

Lester said she was inspired by questions from single parents looking for love, with no dedicated outlet that was suitable to their needs. According to Lumen, 73 per cent of 50 to 59 year-olds in the UK now own a smartphone.