Soul四闯IPO三年烧23亿广告费 投诉达6070起匿名机制成双刃剑

Core Viewpoint - Soul, a social platform focusing on "soulful socializing," has submitted its IPO application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the fourth time, rebranding itself as the "AI + immersive emotional socialization first stock" [1] Group 1: Company Overview - Soul was founded in 2016 with the vision of creating a "spiritual habitat for young people," utilizing an algorithm to match users based on interests in an anonymous environment, quickly gaining over 10 million users within a year [2] - The company has undergone rapid financing phases, achieving a valuation of over $1 billion after a Series B round led by Tencent in 2019, which increased its stake to 49.9% by 2021 [2] - Revenue growth has been steady, with projected revenues of 16.67 billion, 18.46 billion, and 22.11 billion yuan from 2022 to 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of over 15% [2] Group 2: Revenue Model - Soul primarily generates revenue through two channels: emotional value services and advertising services, with over 90% of revenue coming from emotional value services from 2022 to 2025 [3] - The company has a high gross margin, projected at 83.7% in 2024 and 81.5% in the first eight months of 2025, but its reliance on a single revenue source poses risks to its financial stability [3] - Marketing expenditures have been substantial, with sales and marketing costs of 8.44 billion, 7.52 billion, and 8.89 billion yuan from 2022 to 2024, accounting for approximately 40% of annual revenue [3] Group 3: Financial Performance - Soul has reported net losses of 5.08 billion, 1.29 billion, and 1.52 billion yuan from 2022 to 2024, with adjusted net profits showing variability [4] - The user growth has plateaued, with monthly active users (MAU) declining from 29.4 million in 2022 to 26.2 million in 2023, and only recovering to 28 million in the first eight months of 2025, indicating a significant challenge for long-term growth [5] Group 4: Compliance Challenges - The platform's anonymous mechanism, while attractive to users, has led to compliance issues, including fraud and false advertising, with over 6,070 complaints reported on the Black Cat Complaint platform [6] - Despite implementing an "AI pre-review + manual review" system, issues related to scams and high fees persist, posing risks to user retention and regulatory compliance [7] - Competitors are increasingly mimicking Soul's features, which may erode its market advantage, highlighting the need for the company to address its profitability and compliance challenges for sustainable growth [7]