Take a punt on this matchmaker

The online dating market is growing as more and more singletons turn to technology looking for cheap ways to find a match. Tim Bennett picks one of the leading operators in the sector.

During a recession, everyone wants more for less. Which is great news for online dating agencies. According to comScore, five million people visited British dating sites during September, creating what they call a "recession boom".

And it's not difficult to see why. Traditional dating is expensive and pretty unreliable. Some singletons head out optimistically with a bunch of mates, drink lots and then try and make coherent conversation with someone they think they like the look of in an darkened, overcrowded bar or nightclub.

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Tim graduated with a history degree from Cambridge University in 1989 and, after a year of travelling, joined the financial services firm Ernst and Young in 1990, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1994.

He then moved into financial markets training, designing and running a variety of courses at graduate level and beyond for a range of organisations including the Securities and Investment Institute and UBS. He joined MoneyWeek in 2007.