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Ashley Nelson

The online dating sector is booming. Valued at $9.65 billion in 2022, growth is set to hit 7.4% annually between 2023 and 2030.

The online dating business has become increasingly sophisticated, appealing to customers worldwide in a range of niches and markets, each with its own characteristics and audience. 

It appeals to a range of customers, from those interested in general dating sites to niche offerings focused on specific demands in such areas as religious or cultural preferences.

The industry is growing across the world. North America makes up 36.6% of global revenue share, but Asia-Pacific has the highest growth rate (8.5%). 

The market’s appeal is not just a matter of money – it’s also the sheer diversity. Online dating covers anything from general dating sites and apps that serve a broad audience, to specialized providers focused on specific age groups, religions and interests. Others cater to individual countries or wider regions. 

Each niche brings unique demands and challenges. Overall, the business is focused on attracting and retaining users, building revenue through subscriptions, advertising, and premium services and features. 

The sector faces all the dangers associated with any online industry, plus a range of unique challenges. It must protect its users’ data from scammers and other criminals. TV programs like The Tinder Swindler expose the danger of romance scams, usually where a criminal fakes a romantic relationship to exploit the victim for cash – or worse. 

Sadly, this is big business for fraudsters; according to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam in 2022, with reported losses hitting $1.3 billion. The median loss reported was $4,400. 

And it’s not just a financial issue. Companies must ensure their services are not exploited by sexual predators, for instance. They must guard against underage users accessing services that are intended for adults. 

So how can online dating services meet customer demands, while protecting them from online dangers? Technological solutions are key. By embracing cutting-edge, automated technology, companies can enhance the customer experience – while keeping them secure.

For example, age validation techniques could prove if a person is above a defined age, while liveness assurance could establish that they are a real person and not a bot. Biometric authentication can help prove that a person is who they say they are. 

This will require a careful approach. Identity verification (IDV) is not legally required in online dating, and in some cases could be highly sensitive due to privacy concerns or religious reasons, among other potential issues. This means that traditional approaches to IDV – those seen in gambling, for instance – might not be suited to online dating apps and websites. However, it could be used as a supporting product for some sites, perhaps to add value or as an extra security measure when a user is flagged as too young or suspected of being a bot. 

Ultimately, successful online dating providers must meet two primary, connected goals — ensuring that customers are both satisfied and secure. How can they strike the right balance?

We can support your brand in identity verification, regulatory compliance and more, using cutting-edge biometrics and automated technology to ensure only the right people have access to your platform. Our approach can be tailored to your needs, ensuring you meet security demands while respecting customer needs on data extraction and use. 

If you would like to learn more, reach out to book a personalized demo. 

A look at the rise and rise of online dating, unpacking the dangers and looking at some potential solutions. 

Online dating is booming, with huge potential for future growth. How can providers ensure the best customer experience, while keeping users safe and secure? 

Balance Security & Customer Experience | Veriff.com

Veriff’s suite of IDV products create a trustworthy online experience that provides checks against bots, catfishers, and scammers.

Develop and maintain trust

Veriff’s Age Validation & Age Estimation solution mitigates the risks of underage users from being able to create a profile, ensuring age-appropriate users can interact on the service freely.

Prevent underage users

Proving that your platform is keeping bots at bay and cultivating a community where real users will attract advertisers.

Retain users, attract advertisers

Ensure that banned users and accounts cannot bypass your platform’s security by using blocklists and data crosslinking, and promote safety to your true users across the app.

Safeguard your users

Veriff’s data-driven fraud detection is consistent, auditable, and reliably detects fraudulent forms of identification.

Better fraud detection

Discover more about how IDV is keeping your business and customers safe. 

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The history of online dating — and where it’s headed 

Identity Verification

Carl-Ruuben Soolep

We are thrilled to announce Mike O'Callaghan as Veriff's new Vice President of Verifications. Mike is an operator and leader with over 30 years of experience scaling global operations and business support functions, including customer services, contact center management, and technologies. Mike has worked for the world's leading tech companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, Expedia, eBay, Skype, and more.

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Meet Mike O’Callaghan, Veriff’s Vice President of Verifications

Welcome to the team, Mike! Can you tell us a little bit about how you learned about Veriff and what drew you to the company?

Thank you so much. It’s great to be working with such a welcoming group of people. I’ve been tracking Veriff for several years and  was drawn to  the company because of their industry-leading product offerings, world-class leadership, and ambitious plans for hyper-growth with elegant and efficient scaling. In addition, I feel very aligned with the company’s culture, values and mission to “make the internet a safer place, whilst being utterly transparent.” Everyone I met during the hiring process reinforced the strength of the culture, the alignment to Veriff’s mission and goals, and lastly, the strength of the team.    

Can you share a little about your background and previous experience?

My experience expands across multiple industry sectors including SaaS (B2B) technology, FinTech/FinCrime, eCommerce/retail, online travel, business process outsourcing, telco/broadband and retail/digital banking. I’ve been fortunate to work for some of the world’s largest tech companies and world-renowned brands in the last 25 years. I started my career in retail banking (way back in the late 1980’s) and I was proud to be involved in the launch of the first full UK internet/digital bank in 2000! I’ve enjoyed opportunities to work all around the UK and Ireland, live and work in Luxembourg for 5 years, and run operational teams in over 30 countries! The biggest privilege, from operating all around the world, has been the opportunity to travel, learn different languages, and experience so many rich  and diverse cultures. Operations is a people business and I’ve loved the opportunities to connect with so many throughout my career.

You have worked at some of the most well-known companies in technology today like eBay, Amazon, Skype, and others. What are some of the most valuable takeaways from working at those companies?

I’ve been fortunate enough to work for some incredible global tech companies, where I learned the importance of relying on facts and data to drive decisions at a high velocity. In fast-paced, dynamic, and complex businesses (often growing exponentially), having a clear mission and priorities married to data and facts allows one to make decisions quickly. These global platforms and recognizable brands all have multiple things in common: powerful missions and purpose linked to a strong culture and customer or service obsessions delivered through product innovations that remove friction and ensure trust in services we all want, need, and use every day in our lives. Looking back, I’ve been attracted to companies that try to solve the most challenging technology problems affecting the whole planet and its inhabitants. Often these companies are in hyper-growth mode, with massive user and transaction volumes and scale, while ensuring the products and services are “user friendly” and add value to people’s lives. For my part, I’ve learned that people are the most valuable assets and often make the biggest difference in achieving success!     

You have seen the identity space evolve and grow from quite close. How did you end up in the identity space in the first place? What do you see are some of the key trends in the space at the moment?

I stumbled into the identity space because of my background in running and scaling global operations that supported a technology platform. Identity was still quite a young and emerging industry, but the previous experience of supporting an “always on” (24/7/365) service was transferable. Some key emerging trends within the sector are digital or re-usable identities and industry-wide standards and definitions being created and adopted. Also, how “know your customer” (KYC),  “anti-money laundering” (AML), and fraud prevention/fighting financial crime all intersect, often via multiple or complementary technology solutions, that will all need coordination or orchestration while ensuring high conversion for services, no friction for end users, and privacy protection.  

I feel very aligned with the company’s culture, values and mission to make the internet a safer place, whilst being utterly transparent. Everyone I met during the hiring process reinforced the strength of the culture, the alignment to Veriff’s mission and goals, and lastly, the strength of the team.    

You joined the team as Vice President of Verifications. Can you tell a little bit what the verification division does and is responsible for at Veriff?

As VP of Verifications, I am responsible for the “24/7/365” operations, knowledge management, support and development, and service planning and delivery of Veriff’s verification solutions. The extremely versatile and agile team’s talent, expertise, and experience provide “human in the loop” signals and inputs for our automated decision-making, as well as gathers, analyzes, structures, and maintains Veriff’s in-house knowledge related to identity documents and registries in line with international standards. We support new client testing and incubation groups with revenue, account management, and solutions engineering teams to ensure a smooth and successful onboarding and “go-live” process for new clients. Lastly, we collaborate with regulatory compliance, product and engineering, and quality management functions to achieve Veriff’s business objectives.

What are some of your priorities and goals for Veriff’s verification division?

One of my priorities and goals for the verification division is to take a step back and ensure strong connections with the company’s mission, growth mindset and promise to make the internet a safer place while handling millions of individual transactions. I am excited for the division to evolve and grow with “follow the sun” operations that offer resiliency, agility, and support for new market expansions (country, languages, and forms of identification). As always, we aim to support our customers and ensure a high conversion while mitigating fraud or losses by providing a high-quality and highly accurate expedient service.

Aside from your work here at Veriff, what are some of your other commitments and passion-projects you are currently working on?

One passionate project I’m working on is acquiring a new self-sufficient 4x4 motorhome (in the US, they call them RVs) built with a composting toilet, no LPG gas onboard, and electricity provided by solar panels, lithium batteries, and an inverter!  I’m also excited about finding a non-profit to get involved with so that I can assist in using my wide experience and skills.

One thing that surprised you about Veriff?

The leadership, teams, and the company culture! Everyone has a passion for the mission; it’s clearly in the company’s DNA.

My must-read book is “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni.  It’s written as a fable and is very relevant to technology start-ups and newly formed or fast-changing teams.  

Best piece of advice you have received to date?

“It is not what you say, nor wish, nor hope, nor intend….it is only what you do that counts.”

Veriff

Our People

Veriff is once again taking part in the Educational Leaders’ Internship Program in Estonia, and we’re pleased to welcome headteacher Mari Roostik on board. We had a chat with Mari to see how the internship has been going so far, her thoughts on education and much more.

Meet Mari Roostik, a headteacher turned Veriff intern

Welcome to the team, Mari! Tell us a little about yourself.

I am originally from a town called Rakvere in Estonia, where I lived until I finished high school. Not a strictly straight-A student, but I was eager to organize events in my school, tried to make all my peers act and dance since that was what I liked, and tried to do everything that was not studying besides reading and writing. I have always loved it!

I got my BA and MA degrees from the University of Tartu, where I studied Estonian language and literature teaching. For the past five years, I have been focusing on reading and learning as much about education, leadership, and how to be the best partner and leader to my team and students, so what you do indeed is who you are – I am a learner and reader, for 1,5 years a head teacher. It has been an exceptional journey, and it still is!

You work as a headteacher in a school in Tartu, Estonia. Tell us a little bit about your school. 

I work as a headteacher at Tartu Jaan Poska Gymnasium, established as a secondary school in 2011. We have about 540 students and a team of teachers and staff of around 45 people. 

Our school’s main priority is offering each student an individual learning experience that helps them connect between subjects and use their creativity to the fullest. We do everything possible to ensure every student flies to the world with the best knowledge, positive attitude, and skills to chase their dreams.

An interesting fact about the school is that it is housed in a historical building where on February 2, 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty between Estonia and Soviet Russia was signed, marking the end of the Estonian War of Independence.

Have you always wanted to work in the education field?

I am not 100% sure that I have always wanted to work in education, but I have always wanted to work with people. Today I know I am in the right field and live and breathe making a difference in education.

I have worked in education for over 11 years. I started as a teacher and thought those first years gave me knowledge and understanding of the profession. Working with students was and still is a beautiful experience. Still, I knew I had to choose between becoming an exceptional teacher or striving to become a leader in education. I chose the latter and worked a lot to be worthy of deputy principal, and after that, I knew that the next goal was to try to reach the role of headmaster. And here I am, a headmaster, still working harder than ever to make a difference for my team and students.

What do you love most about your work as a headteacher? What are the challenging and most rewarding parts of your work?

That is a tough one because I love all of it (almost). It comes with a huge responsibility and many challenges. I love how we, as a school team, share the same vision of what and how we want to achieve for our students. We cannot just teach them as we always have; we have to change and sometimes rethink how we think about our roles and responsibilities as teachers. 

Right now, a big part of my work is to lead many changes simultaneously and ensure that everybody in our team understands why we are doing it, how we will grow and benefit from the hard work we put in, and where we are heading. Leading changes and doing some things differently is always as rewarding as challenging.

My first four weeks in Veriff have been unique, eye-opening, exhausting, but amazing! People in Veriff are warm and welcoming, brilliant, and the best in their fields. That is probably my favorite part so far.

How have your first weeks at Veriff been?

My first four weeks in Veriff have been unique, eye-opening, exhausting, but amazing! First, two weeks passed like a blink of an eye since I did two onboarding sessions – company and new team leadership training. 

I had forgotten what intensive learning is and how exhausting it is, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to remind myself of that. I know now what all my first-year students and new teachers feel when they start in our school. Of course, it also gave me many ideas on how to make it easier and more efficient and structure information more precisely, step by step, just like you do in Veriff. There will likely be a new onboarding program for new students and teachers in our school next fall. 

I have had many inspiring 1:1 conversations. People in Veriff are warm and welcoming, brilliant, and the best in their fields. That is probably my favorite part so far.

Photo: Mari's first day interning at Veriff

Why did you decide to join the internship program?

Many headteachers whom I admire have taken part in the program. I have seen the sparkle in their eyes, and it seemed like the only way to get myself to accomplish some of the more complex and fundamental route changes I dreamt of creating in my school. And as I said before, I am eager to learn, so I decided in spring 2022 to apply when the new opportunity comes next!

Photo: Indrek Heinloo (COO, Mari's mentor), Mari Roostik (headteacher at Tartu Jaan Poska Gymnasium), Pilleriin Pillav (People Partner, Internship Coordinator)

Any goals you set yourself for the program?

One of my goals is to learn about data, what to and when to collect, when our why is set, what are the different tools to do it quickly and efficiently, in which areas it is the foundation of decision making, how to monitor and analyze it etc. Of course we are already doing it and have been doing it, but I know that there are more ways to use data to observe, if we really are moving in the right direction with our strategic plans and OKRs (to know and learn more about them is also an important goal for me)  for this and upcoming years. 

What are some of your personal interests or hobbies outside of your professional life that you would like to share?

I love to read a lot, discover new music, walk a lot, and occasionally go to the theater, concerts, and exhibitions and enjoy spending time and just talking with my friends and family. I work out almost every day, wake up too early for most of the population, and write a lot. 

And a fun fact about myself is that I have a plan for everything, not only for work but for everything in my personal life as well.

The Educational Leaders’ Internship Program was initiated by the Good Deed Education Fund and Tallinn Education Department in collaboration with the talent agency Fontes. This year, fifteen school leaders from across Estonia have become interns at Estonian companies with top-level managers as their mentors. The 10-month program aims to develop the quality of school management and give the school leaders insights into the organisation's daily and operational model with a modern management culture. For the first three months the school leaders will work full-time in the companies and then return to their schools to take the knowledge and ideas into practice with the help of their mentors.

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The history of online dating — and where it’s headed

Meet Mike O’Callaghan, Veriff’s Vice President of Verifications

Meet Mari Roostik, a headteacher turned Veriff intern

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