Asian dating app woos investors with local expertise: 'there is no hanky-panky'

Manila office worker Catherine Anunciacion, 28, wanted new friends so she joined Peekawoo, a dating app made for women that emphasises fun and companionship - and nothing more.

Peekawoo is one of several dating apps set up by Southeast Asian start-ups to cater to the millions of tech-savvy, time-poor millenials living in largely conservative societies where dating too often is frowned upon and casual sex is taboo.

Investors are also attracted to the apps’ potential in a region where consultants KPMG says 60 per cent of the population is aged below 35, and where incomes are rising.

Funding details are scarce, but Vertex Venture, a unit of Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings, participated in two funding rounds worth a total US$12.5 million for app Paktor, while Peekawoo has raised US$100,000 from investors including Kickstart Ventures, a unit of Philippines’ Globe Telecom.

“Dating websites, like real estate and job portals, touch on a fundamental need,” said Justin Hall, principal at Golden Gate Ventures, which invested an undisclosed amount in Thai dating app Noonswoon. “In Southeast Asia, there is massive potential.”

Homegrown apps hope their understanding of local cultural norms will give them a leg up over global rivals such as US-based Tinder, which has millions more users but which is seen as a conduit for finding sexual partners, as well as friends.

To allay female members’ concerns about unwanted advances at face-to-face meetings, Peekawoo initially offered chaperones on request and Singapore-based LunchClick makes checks to ensure its local users are really single.