We, Shahzad Younas, build muzmatch as a web page over several years ago (2011) as a side job whilst I was nevertheless employed at Morgan Stanley to simply help my personal area. Conventional solutions merely don’t serve the requirements of Muslims after a life mate perhaps not informal matchmaking.
2011 – The muzmatch website got fairly revolutionary at that time. No month-to-month charges, and is totally PAYG – shell out 50p to review photographs, A?1 to chat to people. Current selection were awful.
I spreading your message by any means possible, waiting outside of mosques after prayers providing leaflets and placing small cards on vehicles windshields in Muslim markets, as well as just are generally irritating
Your website expanded, with thousands using it, as well as multiple , smart phones were removing and I realised PROGRAMS were the future, perhaps not sites. muzmatch needed to be an app. It just must be!
We quit my personal 9 year financial banking profession and got the step. From the rooms of my residence, we discovered how to build applications.
We developed initial version of the muzmatch app in MS phrase, and read how-to signal, having 4 period to build the iOS app, and four weeks to build the Android application. closed the outdated site lower and launched the software! muzmatch was reborn!
muzmatch was and is truly the only app You will find ever developed. This is the first worldwide Muslim wedding app to occur.
The application established with zero members, and grows naturally, with hundreds of newer users joining internationally. 2016 – I make my first hire.
We put on Y Combinator, and travelled over to SF for interview with Paul Buchheit (creator of Gmail). Unfortunately we had been declined given we had been pre income. YC need us to prove this is a genuine business.
The audience is a little startup battling to protect our selves up against the prominent matchmaking company in this field
2016 – we sign-up trademarks for MUZMATCH in the US and European countries. you enrollment passes through and it is nonetheless appropriate nowadays.
Complement Group attorneys identify the European TM registration and file an objection to it saying its driving down their own match/match cardio design TM (only filed in 2015!)
2016 the lawyers give us letters demanding us to cease utilization of the MUZMATCH brand, claiming they might not allow another dating company to truly have the English word match within name.
Interestingly they allegedly attempted to get Bumble twice, as soon as denied both days, prosecuted Bumble for the very same patent violation promises over their unique using swipe gestures within the application
We decline. Additionally they commanded we alter the find and style of the logo design alone. We really do not and wouldn’t wish to be confused with complement people – they hurts our company is of all of them.
We change all of our brand, and remove the heart logo and alter the font found in the muzmatch logo. Points get peaceful. Match party still file arguments to the EU Trademark.
2017 – muzmatch grows in great amounts. We reapplied to Y Combinator (with income and great growth) and thankfully after traveling over to SF, muzmatch ended up being recognized on summertime 17 group!
We increased a $1.75M seed round article trial day. 2017 – Whilst I was in SF in the exact middle of YC, you Match Group Chief Executive Officer Mandy Ginsberg keen to find out more about you, and we also need videos telephone call along with her.
– complement party contact you claiming these were thinking about learning us furthermore and find out more about the company. We had been flattered. Always best that you get to know the competition. Their EU CEO/CFO/Biz Dev come to our offices in London.
We increase the continuing TM objections these are generally submitting. They won’t back off. We lodge a UK trademark registration for MUZMATCH.
2018 – fit team invite all of us for their practices in Paris, therefore we sign an NDA and share some internal information. I became eager to master the way they discover all of our businesses and potential. After some backwards and forwards on facts, they make her first present for us – $15M. Some greater than our very own seed valuation at YC. A lowball provide in my eyes.
A few months later on they upped this provide pertaining to certain extra terms and conditions babylon escort Huntsville. We said no thank you.
– they generate another higher present of $25M with many additional clawback terms and conditions if we don’t strike specific targets. We mentioned no thanks. We carry on developing the group and biz, with a group of around 7 group.
– We hit one million customers on muzmatch! Business developing well. Complement cluster encourage united states for dinner at Ivy, with cluster CFO Gary Swidler. They offer us $35M for the companies.
I experienced literally forgotten all interest in this dialogue as well as the give is completely unexciting. Failed to see how Match would help us with expanding. muzmatch is needs to take over the planet. I refused her offer and said let’s just keep in touch.
2019 – Match people subsequently get a Muslim competition, Harmonica, expressing that the Muslim industry ended up being ‘not precisely served by american items’.
A few months later they sue muzmatch in the UK IPEC process of law alleging signature infringement We answer back once again, stating our brand name was a redline we will defend towards end. It’s been around for over years, without any confusion with Match people, and serves market they have never found to provide until now.
– complement Group in the ante and submit a lawsuit against muzmatch in Waco, Tx alleging patent violation (use of swipe gesture) and cyberpiracy (use your MUZMATCH brand name).
– It is reasonably pricey litigating in america. We produced the economical choice to be in all of our United States circumstances with complement cluster.
We decide to remove the swipe gesture from the muzmatch application also. Produced zero impact on the merchandise. Swiping actually is dead.
– We struck 5 million users internationally, breaking internal registers weekly – record information, fits and success (over 150,000 folks locating their particular companion on muzmatch!). Staff develops to over 60 someone and checking. Application reside in 15 languages.
All of our British suit vs complement party still is live, and we also check-out trial 17th/18th Jan from the UK IPEC.
Whenever we drop? We will be obligated to transform our very own manufacturer, while the name muzmatch will pass away. We are going to probably have to pay content problems.
We fight, because we must. It is very important that items designed for our area are designed BY all of our society, and therefore we do not let our selves are determined and subject to other individuals.
We require prayers, duas and close desires from our society, the visitors as well as those who have benefited from muzmatch and discovered their particular mate.