Lulu, The Girls-Only App for Dating Intelligence, Launches in US Colleges

LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO, February 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Private beta already has over 60,000 hooked in its first month

Today, Lulu, the popular girls-only mobile app for private reviews and recommendations of guys, launches across the US.

Available on iOS and Android platforms, Lulu has been a runaway success in its private, invitation-only launch at Florida State University (FSU) and the University of Florida (UF) in January 2013. Over 60,000 female students have already downloaded Lulu and checked out guys' profiles more than 12 million times. To date, 140,000 reviews have been created and the typical user comes to the app 5-6 times per day for an average visit of 8 minutes.  

Created by girls, for girls - a deep source of dating intelligence

Lulu puts women in the driver's seat when it comes to dating intelligence. The app is unashamedly exclusive and only girls can create and read reviews of the guys they know. This game-changing move has driven guys crazy and tens of thousands of them have tried - and failed - to get into the system.  Prince Andrew and Prime Minister David Cameron even popped into Lulu's London Headquarters to see what all the fuss was about!  

It's not just your ex-boyfriend or cousin who you'll find on Lulu.  Many celebrities have already been reviewed by the girls in their lives; who knew Ryan Lochte is a "#Trekkie" and "#SmellsAmazeballs"?

A private, fun - and safe - space for girls to talk

Girls on Lulu review guys they know in a number of categories including appearance, humor, manners, ambition, first kiss, sex, and commitment. The app allows girls to choose a photo of a guy and add his name to the database. They can also add hashtags to his profile so other girls can see what's most loveable about him, and what to watch out for. The overwhelming majority of Lulu reviews are positive -- girls spreading the world about their awesome brother or cute coworker.  There is also a popular "Dear Dude" feature where real guys answer outrageous questions from girls on sex and dating.

Lulu CEO and Founder Alexandra Chong says the new app is a natural evolution from Luluvise.com, which she launched in December 2011. "My vision has always been to create a discreet, private space for girls to talk about the most important issues in their lives: their relationships. We provide the essential intelligence about the guy who is both #SweetToMom and #BelievesInLove and yet may also be #RudeToWaiters and #CrazyJealous. This is the stuff you need to know when you're checking out a guy in Econ 101, at a party, or even on a dating site. Lulu puts the girls in control."

The new Lulu remains fiercely committed to providing a secure platform for its female users, aged 18-25. Girls register via their Facebook accounts, but Lulu never posts to Facebook. All girls are always anonymous on Lulu, and their activities are always private.

Florida State University is crazy about Lulu

FSU Senior and America's Next Model College Edition contestant Allyssa Vuelma says, "Lulu is exactly what we need. Every sorority girl at FSU is on Lulu and everyone is talking about it! Girls spend tons of time discussing their relationships and crushes and the Lulu app captures it perfectly. It's funny and also rewards gentlemanly behavior. The best part is that Lulu is private and secure."

Chong originally raised $1 million in 2011 from Alexios Vratskides (CEO of Upstream Systems), Passion Capital and PROfounders Capital. In 2012, she secured an additional $2.5 million in seed financing from an esteemed group of super angels, including Yuri Milner (an early investor in Facebook, Zynga, Twitter, Spotify and Groupon), Hosain Rahman (Co-Founder of Jawbone), Alexander Asseily (Co-Founder of Jawbone and Co-Founder of STATE), Bill Tai (backer of hit apps Tweetdeck, Twitter and Voxer), Vivi Nevo, and Dave Morin (Founder of Path).

Website:    http://www.onlulu.com         

Twitter: @on_lulu

About Alexandra Chong:

The daughter of a Chinese-Jamaican father and a Canadian mother, Alexandra grew up in Ocho Rios, a small beach town in Jamaica.  An avid tennis player since the age of 6, Alexandra later went on to represent her native Jamaica on the world tennis scene as part of the Jamaican Olympic Team and the Federation Cup team.

Alexandra studied Law at the London School of Economics.  She then joined the pioneering music licensing company Ricall, where she helped make it more efficient to clear music permissions for television advertising.  Inspired by the drive and entrepreneurial energy around her, Alexandra knew from that moment that she wanted to launch her own venture.

Always on the lookout for the perfect idea, Alexandra found her calling after a particularly bittersweet Valentine's Day date.  The guy was perfect!  Just not perfect for her.  And Alexandra joked with her friends that one of them had to date the worthy bachelor.  That's when Alexandra realized that girls needed a place to sing the praises of guys they adored -- hey, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure.  And Lulu was born.

About Lulu:

Lulu is the smart girl's app for private reviews and recommendations of guys.

Lulu takes its cues from the real world:  we meet a guy and think he's cute, but want to know if he's the dreamboat he appears to be or every girl's worst nightmare.  So we ask our girlfriends, and look him up on Facebook and Google.  It's a private, fun ritual we all indulge in, often complicated by the fact that we don't want the guy to know we're checking out his creds.  We created Lulu to give girls another useful tool to date more intelligently.

Unlike most apps and social networks, your Lulu experience is totally private. Your activity is always anonymous.  Lulu never mentions girls' names and Lulu never posts to Facebook.

Through Lulu, you can read and write reviews of guys, which are pulled from a variety of tools, questionnaires, and fun features.  The vast majority of reviews are positive - ex-girlfriends, sisters, and friends helping other girls discover the guys they believe are keepers.

At the end of the day, Lulu is all about encouraging good, gentlemanly behavior, and providing a platform that makes girls' research easier and more fun. Ultimately, we see Lulu as a private network dedicated to girls and relationships, providing an online extension and enhancement of the kind of information and support that girls provide each other in real life.

FAQs:

How does Lulu use Facebook?

We use Facebook in three ways. First, it helps us keep the boys out. Second, it makes registration super easy for you. Third, it helps us create a totally relevant experience for you because we can feature guys you know in the database.  

We find the guy a girl is looking for on Lulu using her Facebook social graph and search. If she wishes, she can create a Lulu profile for him by choosing a photo and adding his name to our database. This means he can now be reviewed by her and by other girls on Lulu.

We will NEVER post to Facebook.

Am I visible to others on Lulu?

You are always anonymous on Lulu. You are only visible to friends whom you have invited to join you on Lulu or friends who are part of your list of contacts.

What is a Review?

A Review is a pre-set quiz that allows a girl to review a guy she knows. Lulu is not a place to trash-talk guys or a forum for vindictive ex-girlfriends to divulge deep, dark secrets.  Lulu Reviews put the emphasis on collective wisdom, using hilarious but informed quizzes to help girls review the guys they know.

At the end of the day, Lulu is all about encouraging good, gentlemanly behavior, Our categories aren't gross or mean (we're not judging penis or bank account size).  

Who sees Reviews?

All Reviews are created anonymously. Your name is never attached to the Review.   No one will know you created that Review.

Can a guy find out if I reviewed him on Lulu?

No. When you create a Review, we never attach your name to the Review.  

Are Reviews trustworthy?

Reviews are based on the subjective experiences of the members of our community. We encourage you to be truthful so that women everywhere can benefit from the collective wisdom of our community. We created this database to make us smart about men.  

When should I create a Review?

First, create Reviews for great guys.  If a guy brings you chicken soup when you're sick, is the most supportive brother ever, or is an awesome ex whom you're still friends with-other girls will want to know this. Get the word out and pay it forward.

Second, if he's the kind of guy who only texts for booty calls or tells bad, offensive jokes, other girls will want to know this, too.  

What is LuluDude?

LuluDude is a separate app we created for the boys because we block them from accessing Lulu.

LuluDude is where guys can manage and edit their profiles, which are visible on Lulu.

On LuluDude, guys can edit their relationship status, add profile pictures and use hashtags to describe their best (and worst) qualities and their turn-ons (and turn-offs) as well as request reviews from girls.  LuluDude is not an app for guys to review girls.  

For more information or interview requests, please email [email protected].

SOURCE Lulu