Zovine is selling their instant messenger product. Zovine, Inc. is seeking buyers who are looking to enter quickly into the internet dating / social networking industry, while saving 4 years on developing such a messenger. The entire source code of Zovine Messenger, including the Zovine Servers and Administration suite of applications, and 80% ownership in Zovine, Inc. is offered for under $10 million.
9,000 users from 130 countries. Includes database of profiles and photos.
Reminds me a lot of Lemontonic, remember them? Leave Microsoft, license core MSN Messenger, leverage custom messenger as core to new dating service. Spend all the money, redirect resources towards enterprise messaging, like the world needs another secure IM chat client. Get de-listed from stock exchange, get sold for next to nothing.
Perhaps the Zovine story will end differently. Zovine is tightly integrated with Paypal, enabling user to securely sell content to other users. You could use PayPal to buy access to a person’s profile or their hott webcam pix. I’m don’t know how large the instant-messenger P2P commerce market is, perhaps this is the beginning of personal commerce. The problem is you need yet another instant messaging product. I have spent a lot of time getting meta-chat programs to work, what do I want with another one thats only good for one things at this point?
Yahoo! Chat is king right now, with MSN close behind in terms of functionality. Then you have AOL and the handful of meta-chat programs like Trilian, Fire, etc. Don’t get me started on proprietary dating site chat programs, most are terrible. Userplane is running away with the community chat installed base, at least when it comes to the dating and social networking markets. Silk Road has a strong moderated chat program as well.
Here’s the Zovine press release:
June, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ZOVINE MESSENGER OFFERS INTERNET DATING – THE COMPANY IS LOOKING FOR A BUYER.
Start-up company Zovine, Inc. has launched a brand new Messenger named Zovine Messenger and is actively looking for a buyer.
This advanced messenger has numerous ways of finding people, by education background, job experience, personal appearance, among many others.
So far 9000+ people signed up from 130 countries, and quickly growing database of profiles and photos.
Zovine Messenger can be downloaded from www.zovine.com/download
The foundation technology used for Zovine Messenger can be converted to many different internet applications.
contact: Eran Shay
organization: Zovine, Inc.
phone: (786) 367-8271
Related posts:
{ 5 comments }
As the lead developer of the Lemontonic instant messenger, let me tell you to save your money. I could rewrite the IM in 4 months with a team of 3 good developers. That is, less than $200k.
That sounds about right. Shack up in a hotel in Carribbean with a few laptops. Don’t forget Jabber support, e-commerce module and an open API for animated avatars and pulling in rss/xml feeds while you’re at it.
Shares of Lemontonic were halted on the Canadian stock exchange last month. LEM was trading at $.15 when the delisting occurred.
http://onlinedatingpost.com/archives/2005/05/04/lemontonic_halts_trading.php
They are in fact trading again, just read that on Bullboards. You guys are obviously in on the deal otherwise you wouldn’t be here attacking me for making a comment that wasn’t intended as libel or playing rough. Tell us about this 15 million.
On a more positive note, what do you think about Intermix, looks promising, no?
The Chairmen of Lemontonic went and formed a new company which is going to take over a UK dating site with 5 million in revenues. Hmmm Datingdirect.com maybe? At any rate once that aquisition is complete they are going to buy lemontonic for 15 million. Sounds pretty fishy, why go to all that trouble.
Comments on this entry are closed.