Sex & love tech

→ While sex and love/relationship tech startups are addressing huge markets, they’re increasingly seeing newcomers encroach on their territory.

→ For example, some dating apps are mulling the integration of relationship features, while some mental health apps are jumping on the sexual wellness trend.

→ In a market that is both giant and intensely competitive, simply racking up high user numbers is not enough to entice investors.

→ Startups need to prove that they have steady revenue streams to have any hopes of competing with deep-pocketed incumbents, particularly in the dating sector.

→ While a number of startups focused on female pleasure have taken off, there are fewer success stories in men’s sexual wellness, especially around stigmatised issues like premature ejaculation or prostate stimulation.

→ Meanwhile, dating apps need to strike a balancing act between targeting a niche to stand out from the crowd, and being able to amass enough users to reach critical mass.

→ The online reach of sextech startups is limited by social media’s ad policies, which restrict campaigns containing adult products or nudity — a serious scaling barrier.

→ Dating apps don’t face these restrictions, but need to be prepared for continuous marketing in a sector where users drop off easily.