ABOUT
Our Company
Since 2016, Soul has grown into China's most popular AI-native platform for Generation Z. Powered by our proprietary emotional intelligence large language model (LLM) "Keyin (Soul X)" and intelligent relationship-and-content recommendation engine "Lingxi", we transform rich, dynamic, and exclusive public social content into immersive 24/7 experiences that deliver authentic emotional fulfillment through flow states. Our platform empowers user self-expression with AI-enhanced tools, overcomes geographical barriers to forge meaningful connections, and cultivates relationships based on shared interests and emotional resonance. As China's first fully avatar-based social networking platform, Soul features a unique business model driven by highly engaged user interactions within a vibrant community. We consistently pioneer advancements in AI technology and emotional intelligence research. Our proprietary Keyin model—an emotional intelligence LLM specializing in AI companionship—has established a human-AI symbiotic ecosystem. When combined with the continuous evolution of our Lingxi intelligent recommendation engine, we deliver industry-leading innovations in relationship matching and content personalization. With AI at its core, Soul has become a thriving AI social playground for Chinese Gen Z. Looking into the future, we will continue to pioneer our "Synergic Model-Application Interplay" approach — redefining emotional connections while exploring new frontiers of emotional value.
Culture & Value
Be Innovative
Be Efficient
Think More
Work Together
Leadership
With deep insights and understanding of online social products and years of experience in data-driven businesses, Ms. Lu Zhang identified underserved social needs in China and independently developed Soul’s initial product prototype in 2015. As a female leader in the technology, media and telecoms, or TMT, sector, her distinctive perspectives on business operations and product design give the company a unique competitive edge, enabling Soul to become an inclusive and warm social networking platform, friendly and attractive to a wider audience. Prior to founding Soul, Ms. Zhang was the chief executive officer of Innext China, an enterprise consultancy, where she gained invaluable insights into data analytics and corporate expansion strategies in the internet space. Additionally, Ms. Zhang holds an EMBA from Tsinghua University's PBC School of Finance and serves as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Committee in Pudong New District, Shanghai.
Mr. Ming Tao has served as Soul’s chief technology officer since 2017, and has been responsible for overseeing and building the company’s technology and development team. Prior to joining Soul, Mr. Tao was a technology leader at Waterdrop (NYSE: WDH), which is an online health care mutual aid platform in China. Before that, Mr. Tao was a research and development engineer at Sogou Inc. Mr. Tao received his master’s degree in computer science from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2013.
Mr. Gaozheng Zhang has served as Soul's vice president of technology since 2017. Before joining the company, Mr. Zhang was a senior research and development engineer at Sogou Inc., where he was mainly responsible for the research and development supporting the company’s advertisement business and commercial platform. Mr. Zhang received his master’s degree in computer science from Beihang University in China in 2013.