HotOrNot bought for $ 20 million

Youth competitive photo service and dating site HOTorNOT sold. According to TechCrunch , the buyer paid $ 20 million for it, although the previous project owners deny this information and promise to give the exact amount later. But it is not so important. The site has never received foreign investment, so all the money, no matter how much it may be, will go completely to the founders. James Hong and Jim Young earned millions through a single brilliant idea.

The site became popular due to the rethinking of the principle of evaluating photos. It is impossible to see a photo of another girl until you rate the previous one on a ten-point scale. Everything is imbued with the spirit of competition, and each photo is presented to you with the question “Am I cool or not?” (Hot Or Not). By grading, you answer this question, so instead of passively viewing photos, you get an active competitive model. For its time, it was very original. After appearing in October 2000, this site very quickly became popular among young people. Thanks to viral marketing on the first day, attendance exceeded 40,000 people.

Soon the project went to zero, and then began to bring profit to its owners (advertising, paid accounts, flower delivery and additional services). The share of paid accounts has increased by 15%, the amount of income has grown to $ 600 thousand per month (net profit of $ 2 million per year). The creators every day received two or three letters about successful marriages, which took place thanks to the acquaintance on their website.
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via TechCrunch