Homegrown dating startup, Lunch Actually Group – touted to be Southeast Asia’s largest dating company – announced today (May 8) its acquisition of Indonesia’s biggest online dating service, Setipe for an undisclosed sum.
This brings the Group’s presence to seven cities across Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta and Penang.
Together, the two dating giants will strengthen their foothold in the country by providing a holistic dating solution to serve a growing number of 2 million singles in Indonesia to find love.
In an era where hook-ups and casual dating is the norm, their shared vision for helping serious singles is the very foundation that initiated and solidified this integration.
To the unacquainted, the Lunch Actually Group was first launched as a two-person startup with a focus on physical dating services, founded by husband and wife team Violet Lim and Jamie Lee.
Over the years, the Group’s focus has expanded to include dating services both online and offline.
Following this acquisiton, Setipe will come under Lunch Actually Group’s stable of brands including Lunch Actually, esync, LunchClick and Lunch Actually Academy.
Founder and CEO of Setipe, Razi Thalib, along with his team at Setipe, will also join the 110 people-strong team of associates (also known as Cupids and Transformers) at the Lunch Actually Group.
Thalib will however still remain as CEO of Setipe and will also head Lunch Actually Group’s Indonesian operations.
“We are constantly on the look-out for quality companies to bring onboard. With Setipe, we saw great potential for synergy in our respective brands, businesses and company cultures,” said Violet Lim, CEO and co-founder of Lunch Actually Group.
“With Setipe’s strong knowledge of local dating culture and the top-of- mind brand recall for Indonesian singles, topped with our 13 years of experience, regional presence and proven dating offerings, we are confident we can grow our business to an unprecedented level in Indonesia,” she added.
Growing Strong And Steady
Lunch Actually has been growing significantly and steadily since its inception in April 2014.
Prior to this announcement, their latest expansion took place last year in Bangkok, after the acquisition of the biggest dating service in Thailand, MeetNLunch.
Last year, the Group also witnessed a 500% revenue growth, alongside a 7-digit Series A round of funding from Japanese social networking service and publisher mixi, and Fatfish Internet Group, a Southeast Asian and Australian-based ventures investment and development firm.
Commenting on the Group’s future, founder Lim said that she is very excited about the opportunities opened up by this acquisition, and she is confident that the company is now in an even stronger position to serve singles in Indonesia.
“We look forward to quadrupling our revenues in Indonesia by end this year and accelerating our goal of creating 1,000,000 happy marriages!” she added.
Judging by their rapid rate of expansion, it’s clear that the company is dedicated to making sure that singles benefit from their various platforms, and I’m sure this acquisition will let them leverage on Setipe’s existing large user base in Indonesia and ultimately elevate their brand presence in the country.
Featured Image Credit: LunchActually