Badoo

In April 2006, Andrey Andreev launched Badoo as the first free dating site that combined photo albums with instant messaging. During this time, most dating platforms required paid memberships and had limited photo or messaging support. In 2007, Badoo introduced “Encounters” where users could vote yes or no on cards of other users The site quickly became popular through word of mouth in markets like Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, and Turkey.

In 2009, Badoo innovated premium features and services that are still industry standard within the world of dating and social network. During this time, Badoo introduced features like virtual gifts, the ability to “rise up” in the search results or ability to see “who likes you”. These early innovations enabled Badoo to run a profitable business from its earliest years.

The technology of Badoo became the backbone of MagicLab’s shared infrastructure, which is now leveraged across MagicLab’s family of brands like Bumble, Chappy, Lumen, and more to come. Through Magic Lab’s efforts, Badoo has been able to launch features like photo verification to eliminate catfishing from the service.