Applications
ApnaCircle promoter Viadeo raises $32 mn in series D funding
NEW DELHI: Viadeo, the professional social network which operates Apnacircle in India, has completed series D fundraising round of $32 million, split between the French Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Fonds Stratégique d’Investissement, existing institutional shareholders, Idinvest and Ventech, and a pool of new investors including Allianz, Jefferies, the global investment banking firm, and Middle Eastern private funds.
The new investment will allow Viadeo to accelerate growth in Europe and China (with its local brand Tianji), as well as other key emerging markets such as Latin America, Russia, India (local brand ApnaCircle), and Africa.
“This achievement serves as a testament to the value Viadeo brings to its users whether they are managers, corporate professionals, recruiters or entrepreneurs who are its registered users,” the company said.
Viadeo had reached profitability in early September 2009. With over 45 million members worldwide, Viadeo claims leadership in France and China markets.
It is the world’s second largest professional social network and is growing at one million new members each month, the company said.
The company focuses on non-English speaking markets and continues to pursue an aggressive international development strategy with recent partnerships such as the announcement of a joint venture in Russia in the second half of 2011.
“We‘re a global society where critical business connections span multiple languages, geographies and cultures,” said Viadeo CEO Dan Serfaty. “We have always been laser-focused on our ‘multi-local‘ approach, which goes beyond simple translation and focuses on catering to, and understanding the business and cultural needs of each market. This approach has awarded us tremendous growth and success in both European and emerging markets.”
Viadeo’s members consist of business owners, entrepreneurs and managers from a diverse range of businesses both start-up and well-established. Every month Viadeo attracts more than 1,000,000 new members, 10,000,000 new connections are made and over 100 million profiles are viewed.
Based in Paris (head office), Viadeo also has offices and teams in the UK (London), US (San Francisco), Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Milan), Russia (Moscow) China (Beijing), India (New Delhi), Mexico (Mexico City) and Senegal (Dakar). The company employs 400 staff worldwide.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
