Alex Hofmann, a former president of musical.ly, helped build an app that could compete with social giants like Meta, and it seems impossible. After ByteDance acquired musical.ly for $1 billion, Hofmann left the company to become an investor, but soon decided he wanted to make apps again. 9count is the parent company of apps like Everland, which has millions of users, and the friendship-making app Wink, which has millions of users.
A lot of tech companies in China don't just build one product, but multiple products, according to Hofmann. He said that having one product is exciting, but that there are more and more different interest groups. It is possible to serve them with just one product, but you can connect with more people with different products.
The most successful app so far is Wink, which is popular among younger users who want to make new friends online. If the users speak the same language, Wink connects people without regard to location. The company didn't want to face the security issue of people meeting up in real life since the app is available for users 13 and up.
It was interesting that some of the 18-plus-year-old users asked if they could look for people in their city.
The image is called Spark.
Unlike many popular dating apps, you don't have to use the left or right keys. You can see people in a grid, like on Grindr. You can only get messages from people if you like each other.
It was really trying to understand what would replicate the real world in the best possible way.
Similar to an app like Bumble, when you send a message or a like, the request only lasts 24 hours.
Hofmann said that they want users to respond quickly so that they don't have to play the waiting game.
In hundreds of countries, it was launched, and within a day it was #1 in the app store in Ireland and the Netherlands. The app is free to use, but there is a subscription option which gives users perks like the ability to see everyone who liked you, and more. The exact pricing and benefits are still subject to change, but right now, a subscription is $19.99 per month, with slight discounts if you subscribe for three or twelve months at a time.
Hive is an artificial intelligence moderation tool that is used to make sure that users aren't uploading harmful or offensive content to their profiles. The trust and safety team at Spark is 24/7. A security expert was hired to spot bugs and vulnerabilities on the platform before they can be exploited by bad actors.
Users should always exercise caution when meeting strangers in person, no matter what safety measures are in place on a dating app. Match Group invested in Noonlight to enable security features like emergency assistance, location tracking and photo verification. An investigative report by ProPublica and Columbia Journalism Investigations revealed how Match Group allowed known sex offenders to use its free apps.
Redpoint and GGV Capital invested in 9count. The app is available on the App Store.
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