I'd like to introduce you to Pink (https://pinkapp.io, https://medium.com/@PinkApp, https://twitter.com/@goPinkApp). Basically, we wondered if sex work was entirely legal, no restrictions, what would the startups in that area look like? Pink is the result of that idea. By operating as an extrajurisdictional company, we put morality over legality. An anonymously operating escort agency. Or, to be all Silicon Valley, Uber Meets Tinder or some obnoxious mash-up line like that.
We will operate as a full service company, transacting with both the clients and the providers. We take cash in addition to cryptocurrencies - expecting a sizable amount of users to want to use Bitcoin, let alone some random token or smart contract, is unrealistic. We're serious about solving real problems for real people. We aren't some well-intentioned-yet-clueless team that thinks JavaScript+blockchain is going to actually help sex workers. We're a real company, we'll have customer service. Yes, you can pick up the phone and call a support agent if you have trouble with our system. We'll issue refunds when needed. We're going to grow fast, and if we have to spend a bit of money along the way to earn a stellar reputation for excellent service, we will. Think how Amazon is happy to lose money on your individual orders because they know your lifetime value, we are going to do that for sex work.
Pink is not a token or coin, the ICO is selling shares in the company (token-shares or blockchain bearer shares) that issue dividends. Too many ICOs issue useless tokens that only serve to line their own pockets, and damage whatever product they're making. Pink doesn't do this at all. Pink is raising a Series A right now at $1/share. In January, we will have an IPO at $10/share, and offer a stock buyback to Series A investors, up to 20% of their shares. There will only be 12 million shares outstanding at IPO. You can buy shares with Bitcoin, Ether, or Monero - contact us if you need other arrangements. Dividend payments will prefer Monero but also offer Ether.
Pink offers a Tinder-like UI to view profiles and curate a favorites list. This is a far more engaging model than entering 50 different search parameters and seeing long lists of possible providers and trying to figure out which ones you like. Pink will use swipe information to help show interesting providers on a per-client basis. Think about it: For every provider, there's different photos that'd make the same client say Oh Yeah! vs Nah! We'll learn a clients preferences and help him discover his next all-time-favorite.
Pink handles scheduling, which is a huge boon to both clients and providers. As a client, getting even a same-day, let alone last-minute, appointment is a pain in the ass. A client has to contact a bunch of providers, wait for replies. Eventually, hour later, he might get some replies, then some of them will be annoyed he's wasting their time. With Pink's Instant Book feature, a client just selects his favorites and can request instantly and seamlessly. Providers love this, getting screened, serious clients to fill up extra time and maximize revenue. No more time wasters, no more clients refusing to screen.
Pink handles verification, which is a key step for provider safety. Our security measures are top-notch, stacking many privacy and security features. We make tradeoffs not feasible for other companies, but reasonable for us. For instance, our machines don't have hard drives, it's all RAM-based (plus Tarsnap for encrypted backups). More details here: https://medium.com/@PinkApp/pink-app-tr ... 5ee21c6da4
Pink actively engages the sex worker community, and our VP of Product and Business Development is an active escort (https://twitter.com/@SarahPinkApp). She is helping craft our verification and other policies as well as designing key aspects of the product's interaction. Pink is putting provider safety first. Clients risk their reputation and maybe marriage by buying sex. But sex workers risk being outed, loss of income, being robbed, raped, or worse. It's not symmetric.
We welcome all feedback, good or bad. I look forward to talking with you!
Check out some of our recent activity online:
http://www.ibtimes.com/beyond-bitcoin-b ... ry-2601252
https://medium.com/@PinkApp
View client UI preview here:
https://vimeo.com/237475162
View provider testimonials here:
https://vimeo.com/238113796
https://vimeo.com/238114413
https://vimeo.com/238137997