On the street, at work, at a party… it could be anywhere. happn puts real life experiences first and favours everyday coincidences. happn simply provides the answer to a universal desire: how can we find that handsome stranger again, the one we didn’t dare approach? happn – a dating app, headquartered in Paris started from the premise that we encounter dozens of people every day in real life, especially in large cities, without actually meeting or getting to know them. The app gives users a second chance, the chance to discover, to find a person that caught your eye, and to avoid missed connections. It created the very first 100% mobile dating experience to offer a facilitator and help its users to interact with those that already share a part of their world. It was co-founded by Didier Rappaport, Antony Cohen and Fabien Cohen. The app first launched in February 2014 in Paris, followed by London in May 2014 and New York City in September 2014. Today, the app mainly operates worldwide across 32 major cities and has amassed more than 23 million users including London, New York City, Sao Paulo, Buenos AIres, Paris, Tokyo, Madrid, Sydney, Bangkok, Mumbai and Hong Kong to name a few. Now happn is getting popular in the Asian markets. happn is the first mobile meeting app to use real-time geolocation to help you discover people you have crossed paths with in real life. Every time you cross paths with another happn user, his or her profile appears on your app.
Claire Certain Head of Global Trends and Events for happn began her career at several communications agencies before moving to in-house communications and marketing positions at large media networks throughout Europe. Through her work, Claire became incredibly knowledgeable on corporate partnerships, event integration and development. She has demonstrated her extensive skills in generating incredible brand recognition, building diverse advertising campaigns, communicating with targeted demographics and generating new revenue streams. Here’s a candid chat with Claire on how it all ‘happn’ed.
1. How is this app different from the other dating apps around?
There are a lot of details on how you can define yourself, what are your hobbies, the kind of person you like to meet. Online and mobile dating space was too virtual so far and not very interactive and the framework was very tight. We believe in serendipity and that only it is by chance that you can meet like minded people at the same time. So it’s not about algorithm or formula. Two people can go to a movie theatre on a Sunday afternoon and eat things they both like and maybe even fall in love. It adapts to your way of life if you live in a big city as you’re connected with your smart phone. The bigger is the city you live in, the less connected you are with the people around you as you’re running all the time. How do you get the chance to meet new people and widen your horizon, if not with interacting with your direct environment. These people are already part of your world and maybe just about 100 miles away from you. Your timeline is personal and only for persons you crossed paths within a 250 metre range. You can record voice messages and is based on respect, mutual interest and reciprocity. There’s no way that anyone can write to you unless you have accepted their invite. Any step you can block the person who you’re not comfortable with.
2. The app was recently launched in India and also announced its joint venture with Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan. What’s the association with Hrithik Roshan and how did it happn?
Hrithik isn’t into dating apps, but when he saw the features of happn, he liked the concept as it is different. Your timeline isn’t a catalog of people. These are real people. You don’t swipe them, and if the people here don’t behave the way the members of the community expect them to do, they’re going to be banned from the community. We also have a Facebook connect as well and since Facebook has a background check, you can be sure that safety is already guaranteed.
3. What is your target audience?
People in big cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru. Besides, friends, family and work, the trend is now moving towards online and mobile channels to seek new friends.
