QRUSHR

 
With any hot new tech trend comes imitators, brands that take an original idea a step further and occasionally even surpass it. Friendster begat MySpace begat Facebook. Blu-ray improved upon the possibilities of DVD. And now British entrepreneur David Rickhuss has delivered Qrushr (Qrushr.com), his next-level GPS-based gay social networking app that takes the Grindr formula to the next level. Any ’mo with an iPhone—and a libido—has succumbed to the phenomenon that is Grindr (Next Magazine even investigated the trend back in September) but the app has significant limitations, and that is where Qrushr hopes to—well—crush the competition. “Qrushr has over 12 world-first technologies built into it,” says Rickhuss, 38. “Other apps do radar and that’s it, but Qrushr does that standing on its head and is far more reliable.”
 
Special features include the ability to list more photos, the organization of current conversations to the top of the screen, group chat rooms and its own radio and magazine channels. Additionally, Rickhuss notes that the app does not save images and coversations from private chats, something Grindr does do.
 
After only a few months on the app store, the beta-tested Qrushr (available for free on iTunes) already has over 60,000 users worldwide and is growing fast. But Rickhuss knows the true test is a New York audience, a loyal but hard-to-please beast. Still, he thinks Qrushr will win over the Big Apple. “New York guys are probably the most discerning in the world,” he admits. “It’s no good trying to bluff. What you need to have is the world’s best product to impress, and we know we have that. Grindr was a nice start, but Qrushr is the next generation.” —Benjamin Solomon