Controversial infidelity website Ashley Madison, born of a Toronto-based businessman and the source of heated water cooler debates across North America, is launching across Europe this month. Fresh off a press tour in the U.K., Noel Biderman spoke to QMI Agency just after landing in Berlin Monday where he’s promoting the European version of AshleyMadison.com, a discreet dating service for married people looking to cheat.
Ashley Madison founder Noel Biderman
“There’s no doubt in my mind that infidelity affects both genders and crosses every socioeconomic group and every ethnic group,” he said.
Biderman said the European response has been “mind-blowing” with 600,000 clicks on the German site and 100,000 members already signed up to the U.K. service.
“By all accounts and by every measure both regions are going to outperform Canada and on a per capita basis the U.S.,” he said.
Ashley Madison already has 7 million members and operates in nine countries and in three languages. Biderman hopes to see that rise to 50 countries in 12 languages over the next several months. Projected revenues are upwards of $40 million.
After Germany, Ashley Madison will land in Austria and Switzerland before hitting France, Spain, South America and Asia next year.
The only region Ashley Madison isn’t targeting is the Middle East where adulterers face grave legal ramifications, he said.
Biderman founded Ashley Madison in Canada on Valentine’s Day in 2002 after discovering that 30% of people on singles dating services were actually already in a relationship and lying about their status.
