Tianji

About Tianji

Tianji.com (天际网) was a Chinese professional social networking service that operated as a key player in China's digital landscape. Founded in 2005 by CEO Derek Ling (林廷翰), the platform was established to cater to the networking needs of professionals within China. Ling, who had previous experience at companies like Sina.com and Apple Computer, aimed to create a platform tailored to the local business culture. One such cultural nuance was the preference for building friendships before conducting business, which influenced Tianji's focus on discussion forums and groups over simple search-based connections.

The company positioned itself as an analog to LinkedIn, targeting college-educated professionals under the age of 40. It provided services such as job postings, educational training resources, professional circles (人脉圈), and company channels. Its business model was expected to generate revenue through advertising, recruitment services, and MBA training programs. A significant milestone in Tianji's history was its merger with the French professional social network Viadeo in 2008, which integrated Tianji into Viadeo's global network. This partnership was followed by a substantial investment in 2012, when Viadeo secured $32 million in a funding round, with a significant portion earmarked for Tianji's expansion in China. The platform experienced explosive growth between 2010 and 2011, attracting hundreds of thousands of new users monthly and growing to a claimed user base of over 15 million.

Despite its initial success and substantial user base, which at one point was claimed to be 25 million, Tianji.com ceased operations on December 27, 2015. The parent company, Viadeo, announced it was shutting down its China operations to refocus on the French market, describing the Tianji subsidiary as a "financial burden." The shutdown was abrupt, with the company deleting all user data to protect privacy, leaving users with little time to retrieve their information.