Show HN: Built a web-based competitor to Grindr. Would love tips and advice (fantsy.me)
Our goal is to cause some disruption in how people date online/offline. we service all regardless of sexual orientation. Any feedback is appreciated for a crazy budding entrepreneur :)
P.S Phone app coming soon as well
12 comments
[ 4.1 ms ] story [ 49.1 ms ] threadGrindr solves the problem of "I want to find someone nearby for sex." Now, I know people who have found friends and relationships through it, but that's not why they downloaded grindr.
Does this get anyone to fucking any sooner? If no, then it's not grindr. (or scruff...)
NOW... if you want to infiltrate this space, make it HTML5 only, and allow X-rated pictures on it. Make it seamless for android and iphone to install (particularly iphone) and you have a market.
But you need to look deeper into the market (particularly adult friend finder!) to understand the problems attracting women. Also check the okcupid blogs about their experiences and data. Women, in general, don't respond. I think an interesting experiment would be to have a service where only women could initiate, because otherwise they're bombarded and men rarely see return emails.
(* I say this as a gay man who has played with grindr and who has many friends with it, but is in a happy relationship.)
2. Makes me login without a good explanation of value prop.
3. Grindr is a mobile app, this isn't even close.
4. You're playing the game of network effect with no network.
1. Gay men want to fuck.
2. Someone close by.
3. NOW.
No one will successfully clone Grindr outside of the gay hookup space (nor will Grindr be successful with their non-gay-sex app) because there are no other potential applications with the same imprimatur, except sexual hookups in other scenes (i.e. plentyoffish, or justlunch).
Unless you're horny, proximity and timeliness simply do not matter so much, and any application outside that scene is simply a gimmick, unless you have an application truly unique and compelling.
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