Online Dating and Discovery Association

What Online Dating and Discovery Association does

The Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) is a UK-headquartered, membership-based industry trade association established in 2014 (rebranded from the Online Dating Association in February 2024) that represents the online dating and social discovery sector. It is registered in England as a non-profit entity (Company No. 08657895), operates from a registered office in London (SW4 0NR), and functions as the sector's coordinating voice with regulators, policymakers, and the media. ODDA develops and maintains standards covering data privacy, education and consumer awareness, and user safety, and provides a member logo that signals compliance to consumers. Its workstreams span policy advocacy (Ofcom, ICO, Ministry of Justice, UNODC), safety tool development (e.g., a sex offender reporting tool referenced in UK policy), academic partnerships (King's College London Research Hub, Open University Centre for Protecting Women Online, University of Leeds), and flagship industry events including an annual conference at One Great George Street, Westminster.

Name

Online Dating and Discovery Association

Legal name

Online Dating and Discovery Association

Website

https://theodda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ODDA is a UK-based non-profit trade association, founded 2014, that develops safety standards, advocates policy, and convenes the online dating and social discovery industry globally. It is funded through membership fees from platforms and associate partner dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Dating & Relationship Networking (MPACAJAH)

Keywords

• Industry trade association
• Sector standards development
• Policy advocacy services
• Online dating industry
• Social discovery sector

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Full Membership Fees: Dating platforms and social discovery services pay membership fees to join ODDA. Members receive access to standards, advocacy, networking, and the ODDA Member logo for demonstrating commitment to standards.
2. Associate Partner Fees: Technology providers and service companies pay associate fees ranging from £1k to £7k based on annual turnover. Associates receive networking, marketing, and engagement opportunities with ODDA members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ODDA is an industry trade association that provides membership programs, sector standards and guidance, policy advocacy, and networking for the online dating and social discovery sector. Full membership is offered to dating platforms and social discovery services, while associate partnerships are available to technology and service providers (with annual fees tiered by turnover from £1,000 to £7,000). The association also operates an annual conference, a Research Hub in partnership with King's College London, and a Sex Offender Reporting Tool referenced by the UK Ministry of Justice.

Product overview

ODDA (Online Dating and Discovery Association) is a trade association for the online dating and social discovery sector, not a product company. ODDA offers membership programs (full membership for dating platforms, associate membership for service providers), develops and maintains sector standards and guidance on data privacy, safety, and consumer awareness, operates the Research Hub for collaborative research, provides the Annual Conference as a flagship industry event, and offers safety tools including a sex offender reporting tool. ODDA also provides industry updates via newsletter and consumer resources for dating safely.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ODDA Membership (Full)
• ODDA Associate Partnership
• ODDA Standards and Guidance
• ODDA Research Hub
• Sex Offender Reporting Tool

Quantifiable outcome

• Sex offender reporting tool referenced by Ministry of Justice in Licence Conditions Policy Framework
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VeriffcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 June 2026Veriff joined as an Associate Partner. Veriff is a global AI-native identity platform that helps organizations build trust online. Leading companies across dating and social discovery platforms use Veriff for identity verification.
• SumsubcoreTechnology or Integration · 4 May 2026Sumsub joined as an Associate Partner. Sumsub is the leading full-cycle verification platform designed to secure the entire user journey. ODDA and Sumsub have co-published a white paper on romance fraud and platform safety, and conducted joint webinars on fraud prevention, deepfakes, and KYC.
• UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026ODDA endorsed the UNODC Global Public-Private Sector Framework Against Fraud and its six key principles. Lauren Sharp represented ODDA at the UNODC Joint Constructive Dialogue with Relevant Stakeholders as part of the review of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
• Centre for Protecting Women Online (Open University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2025ODDA entered into a partnership with the Open University's Centre for Protecting Women Online, which is funded by a £7.7 million grant from Research England. Lauren Sharp joined as ODDA's first Researcher in Residence from this Centre, researching how profile verification features shape women's perceptions of safety on dating platforms.
• Coalition for App FairnessminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 January 2022ODDA joined the Coalition for App Fairness, an independent non-profit advocating for freedom of choice and fair competition across the app ecosystem. ODDA supports advocacy for a level playing field regarding app store commissions and practices.
• King's College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODDA launched its Research Hub with a Founding Event at King's College London, marking a landmark day for the sector and establishing an academic partnership for evidence-based standards development.
• University of LeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerODDA launched a new standards review with the University of Leeds as part of its ongoing work to raise standards across the online dating and social discovery sector.
• UK Government (Enough! Campaign)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODDA is a partner of the UK Government's Enough! Campaign to tackle violence against women and girls. ODDA actively engages in workstreams including pushing for Clare's Law extension to dating apps, bail conditions prohibiting dating platform access for suspects, and prisoner charity collaboration.
• Ministry of JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODDA works with the Ministry of Justice on probation officer reporting of convicted sex offenders via the ODDA website. The Ministry of Justice referenced ODDA's sex offender reporting tool in their Licence Conditions Policy Framework.
• OfcomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODDA engages constructively with Ofcom on regulatory matters including the Online Safety Act implementation, age assurance requirements, and statutory reports.
• ICO (Information Commissioner's Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODDA responds to ICO consultations on data protection and profiling tools for online safety, ensuring sector perspective is represented in privacy guidance development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Internet Watch Foundation (IWF): UK-based non-profit industry-funded body tackling online child sexual abuse imagery. Closely comparable operating model to ODDA: funded by member dues from digital platforms, focused on online safety standards, and engaged with UK regulators and law enforcement.
• Internet Matters: UK not-for-profit industry-funded organisation focused on child online safety. Comparable to ODDA in being an industry-collaborative body producing safety guidance, engaging government campaigns (e.g., UK Safer Internet Centre), and representing a membership coalition.
• Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI): International non-profit that convenes industry, government, and academia to promote online safety best practices. Comparable in mission scope, international policy engagement, and member-funded operating model to ODDA.
• Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA): International non-profit tackling scams, including romance fraud, with a member-organisation model. Highly aligned mission to ODDA's work on fraud prevention and joint webinars with Sumsub, and a close thematic peer.

Broad incumbents

• UK Finance: UK trade association for the banking and financial services sector, heavily involved in fraud prevention and consumer protection standards. Compares to ODDA through the industry-funded standards-and-advocacy model and engagement with UK regulators on fraud.
• The App Association (ACT): US-based trade association representing the app ecosystem on policy, privacy, and competition issues. ODDA is already a member of the related Coalition for App Fairness; ACT shares the association GTM, policy advocacy, and standards-setting DNA.
• Tech UK: UK trade association for the technology sector with a broad remit including regulation, policy advocacy, and standards. Comparable governance and revenue model (membership fees), but operating at a much larger scale and broader industry footprint than ODDA's dating-vertical focus.

Emerging players

• Trust & Safety Professional Association: International non-profit professional association for trust and safety practitioners. Mission-aligned with ODDA's user safety and fraud prevention remit but operates at a more practitioner-development layer rather than sector-standards authority.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/online-dating-discovery-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Online Dating and Discovery Association