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Engage.com, the Internet's first online
relationship community where adults join forces with their single
friends to help them in their search for true and lasting love,
recently announced a $5 million Series A round of funding. Advanced
Technology Ventures led the round, with current seed investors
Revolution Ventures, The Founders Fund and Josh Kopleman also
participating. Steve Baloff, a general partner at ATV, will take a
seat on the Engage board. Engage will use the financing for
additional product development, recruiting and marketing efforts.
leading online dating services were satisfied
with their experience. "Engage promotes social accountability in
dating by allowing singles to invite a highly-motivated and caring
community to help them meet someone special," said Suneet Wadhwa,
CEO and co-founder of Engage. "This removes the social isolation
that tends to foster inauthentic dating behaviors plaguing other
dating sites."
Recognizing that half of all marriages in this
country are the result of a personal introduction, often made by a
friend, on Engage singles invite their friends and family to Play
Matchmaker(TM) for them, vouch for their character and share their
instincts and perspective about potential romantic interests. This
tried and true, socially-collaborative process of finding love
online borrows from how relationships actually form in the off-line
world.
“Engage captured our attention with a seasoned
team and an innovative offering that presents a better alternative
to the outdated, and nearly identical, business models of all the
current dating sites,” said Steve Baloff of ATV. “We're convinced
Engage's collaborative and socially-conscious approach to the
relationship space provides singles with a better path to love, and
we look forward to actively participating in that process.”
Steve Baloff brings over 19 years of
entrepreneurial, operating and venture experience to the Engage
Board of Directors. He founded and served as CEO of Worldview
Systems, a venture-backed start-up noted for creating and launching
Travelocity. Steve held executive positions in sales, marketing and
general management with Covalent Systems. During his tenure, the
company went from pre-revenue to over $20 million in revenues. His
career originated at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, where he focused on
strategy engagements for a variety of technology companies. Steve
currently holds Director roles with Alfalight, Browster, Compassoft,
Liquid Engines, Tripwire and WildTangent.
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