Momo (software)

Founding and incorporation Tang Yan, Zhang Sichuan, Lei Xiaoliang, Yong Li, and Li Zhiwei co-founded Beijing Momo Technology Co., Ltd. in July 2011. Three months later, the number of Momo users reached 2 million. Momo reached 10 million users on its first anniversary in August 2012. In October 2012, Momo surpassed 15 million users. In 2014, App Annie reported that Momo was the number 2 non-game app of 2013 in terms of revenue. In February 2014, TechNode reported that Momo had announced reaching 100 million registered users. Momo executives also claimed they had reached 40 million monthly active users (MAU). According to Momo, in June 2014, total registered users and MAU reached 148 million and 52.4 million respectively. China Internet Watch reported more conservative estimates. In the months of August and September 2014, Momo had 51.279 and 52.101 million MAU. While Momo's MAU grew, Wechat and QQ both lost MAU within the same time frame. Momo's prospectus reported 60.2 million MAU in September 2014. However, Momo's Form F-1 filed with the SEC reports that USD 5 million was raised in this round of financing. There was much speculation as to whether or not Chinese e-commerce giant, Alibaba Group, was involved in this round of financing. Momo's registration statement verifies this claim. In total, Momo raised approximately USD 40 million. In October 2013, raised USD 45 million in Series C financing. Matrix Hong Kong, Gothic Partners, L.P., PJF Acorn I Trust, Gansett Partners, L.L.C., PH momo investment Ltd., Tenzing Holding 2011 Ltd., Alibaba Investment Limited, and DST Team Fund Limited were all issued and sold Series C preferred shares. == Product and services ==

Momo's mobile application is available on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. It enables users to establish and expand their social relationships based on similar locations and interests. Some features of the application include subsections like: Nearby Users, Groups, Message Board, Topics, and Nearby Events. Users can send multimedia instant messages as well as play single and multiplayer games within the app's platform. Momo offers users paid membership subscriptions. A membership will cost around USD 2 a month, or less if a user commits to a longer term of use. Benefits of a paid membership include: VIP logos, advanced search options, discounts in the emoticon store, higher limits on maximum users in a group, and the ability to see a list of recent visitors to a user's profile page. As of September 30, 2014, there was 2.3 million paid subscriptions. Like many other instant messaging services, Momo has integrated mobile games into their platform to monetize off their large user base. Third parties develop games, and revenues from in-game purchases are shared between Momo and the developers. In August 2014, Momo launched Dao Dian Tong, a marketing tool for local merchants. Through Dao Dian Tong, local businesses and merchants can construct profile pages that allow Momo users to find them with the Momo's LBS. Members can see the businesses just as they would see other Momo users. Momo plans to further monetize user traffic by referring users from the Momo platform to e-commerce companies. Alibaba was specifically mentioned in Momo's Form F-1. == Corporate affairs and cultures ==

Anti-plagiarism In December 2012, Momo made an official announcement to accuse Sina Corp of copycatting straight from all the features of Momo Group. However, Sina Corp did not give its formal response. Statement made by NetEase On December 10, 2014, NetEase released a statement accusing that Tang Yan has professional ethic issues, business ethics issues, and has been detained due to personal affairs by the local police in 2007. == Public opinions ==

Hook-ups and homeless dogs On April 27, 2012, Mike Sui, a mixed-race comedian and performer in China, first posted his "12 Beijingers" viral video which attracted nearly 5.17 million hits. In this video, one character mentions Momo, for the first time calling it a magical tool to get laid (Chinese: 约炮神器; pinyin: yuē pào shén qì). Momo has spent millions of dollars to reverse the image of Momo as a one-night stand app. Relationships Although Momo is widely considered as a social media application, there are claims that meetings on Momo resulted in marriage. ==See also==