The investment will enable Lovestruck, which is based in Quorn, Leicestershire with an office in London, to consolidate its position as the dominant player on the London dating scene and to expand its offering in major cities around the world.

“This financing will provide the capital to grow Lovestruck rapidly” says Managing Director, Brett Harding. “2010 is a pivotal year for our industry, as mobile dating is still uncharted territory. Lovestruck’s USP is proximity to other singles that work close by, so we are uniquely placed to capitalise on the latest location-based features of the Apple iPhone and Google’s Android platform. We are absolutely delighted to have secured such an experienced group of investors.”

Nick Wright of the East Midlands Early Growth Fund adds “The Lovestruck team impressed us with their commercial acumen, technological understanding and their success to date. The company is already profitable and the model is readily scalable. We expect to make Lovestruck.com a truly global brand very shortly.”

In preparation for this round of investment, Lovestruck was involved with Connect Midlands, which provided the company with investment readiness training as well as opportunities to pitch finance before both Midlands and London-based investors.

Geldards worked to conclude the investment, along with advisers from RSM Tenon, who provided tax advice.

Geldards Associate, Rachel Bennett, said “We are delighted to have advised the East Midlands Early Growth Fund on its investment in Lovestruck.com which seems set to change the world of online dating.”

The timing of the funding coincides with Lovestruck’s nomination for the ‘Best up-and-coming dating site’ at the World’s first Annual Online Dating Industry Awards, to be held in Miami, USA, later this month.

The East Midlands Early Growth Fund and Connect Midlands are both funded through the East Midlands Development Agency (emda).