There is a distinct divide in the growing world of internet relationships.
On the one hand there are the muchadvertised matrimonial websites, which make finding your life partner half an exact science based on factors such as salary, caste, family and religion. At the other end of the spectrum are a host of websites and apps that facilitate casual and non-committal dating. This translates into an evident gap in the market for those looking for real and steady relationships without the barriers of castereligion etc.
The team at U2opia Mobile identified this gap and has launched Woo, a dynamic smartphone application available on Android and iOs that allows users to connect with like-minded, sophisticated and urban singles from the same city, based on shared interests and similar lifestyles. They carried out extensive market research, spoke with young urban professionals, and held workshops, as a result of which they were able to fine-tune the app to the sensitivities of their target audience young, single, urban professionals between the ages of 25 and 35.
“Woo is about real relationships relationships with people you could genuinely connect with, people with whom you have friends in common and relationships that actually have a chance of translating into reality“, says Sumesh Menon, CEO of U2opia Mobile, who co-founded the initiative with Ankit Nautiyal. The app aims to simulate real-life relationships for the modern Indian professional and has already gained 15,000 users since its launch on July 28. The app is operational only in Bangalore currently.
Approximately 20% of applications are rejected including any married or thrillseeking profiles, as a result of which Woo remains a curated community of users looking for meaningful relationships. Secondly, the app aims to establish a circle of trust, according to which users are connected with each other on the basis of common friends, interests, education and work. And lastly, the app is hyper-local, which means users are connected only with people in the same city, which further empowers the user to make real and substantial connections.
The app was launched in Bangalore, and will soon be launched in other cosmopolitan cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai. “We’re thrilled to launch Woo in Bangalore. Over the past few years, Bangalore has transformed into a sort of cultural melting pot with young people from all over the country, making it their home. Given the young and cosmopolitan nature of the city, it was a natural choice for us to decide to launch Woo in Bangalore“, says Menon.Woo brings together all the different elements of a real life relationship and makes them easily accessible to the fast paced professionals of Bangalore who are caught up between work, home and commute, thus allowing them to foster genuine and steady relationships.
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