Building a new social network is incredibly difficult, even for the largest of companies, and it’s next to impossible for the smaller ones. The only way to do it is to have a neat little quirk that draws people in and keeps them, such as Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging, or to cater to a specific group of people. A Chinese company by the name of Xianrou is trying to do the latter, and with a name that literally translates into Fresh Meat, I’m sure you can imagine what kind of people it wants to cater to. Xianrou is basically just a regular dating service, except its employees review everyone who applies for an account in order to make sure they’re attractive, that way you’ll never be disappointed when you secure a date through the service. However, the catch is that you have to be attractive as well in order to create an account.
A new social platform is a tough sell in China these days. The country’s internet sector is stacked to the gills with social sites, and startups have virtually no chance of unseating incumbents like Tencent and Sina. But niche platforms can work, and famous Chinese photographer and Xianrou co-founder and CEO “Soft” (yes, he goes by that) thinks he’s found an under-served niche: hot people. Xianrou, which literally means fresh meat, is Soft (his real name is Wu Shuping) and co-founder Ma Yizhou’s attempt at serving that market. It’s a mobile social app that allows visually attractive users to join (you have to apply, and for now the company itself is choosing who looks good enough to get in). Users can then follow each other, converse, exchange virtual gifts or real-world gifts, and even set up offline dates with special promotions. At least that’s the idea. The app is live, but not fully-featured yet. Development is likely to speed up, though, thanks to the closing of a seed round worth “millions” in RMB (for reference, RMB 2 million is worth about US$300,000). According to Chinese news site Yiou, investors in the round included WeMedia Group CMO Chen Zhong and Meilishuo founder Xu Yirong. Soft says the problem that his company’s aiming to solve is disappointment. Social networks are a dime a dozen, he admits, but he says that online dating plans often end in serious disappointment when the couple meet in person and see what their date really looks like. Xianrou will help you ensure that your date is sexy-looking, although of course to get a date with them in the first place you’ll have to be pretty sexy-looking yourself.
