I made a post 2 days ago in this subreddit that Im looking for a high risk MoR (Merchant Of Records) https://www.reddit.com/r/PaymentProcessing/
from that time I was searching the web and found an adultpay.io
Sent a request and they've sent a "form" to fill (with my personal data)
but I do not see a lot of feedback about that service in the web
wondering, maybe someone was working with them? If so, what you can say about it?
Hey everyone,
Looking for some advice. I’m building an AI companion platform (chat-based) in the "high risk" niche and just got a rejection from Centrobill after two weeks of vetting. They flagged the "business model risk", and mentioned, that will review that only when I will be able to show the "real $volume", which is just impossible, because there are no payment provider integrated (lol)
So still looking for a Merchant of Record (MoR) so I don’t have to deal with global VAT/tax compliance myself.
A few questions:
Really trying to avoid the high-risk gateway route (CCBill, etc.) if I can find a modern MoR that works.
Thanks!
I built Secret Stars - an AI girlfriend app where you swipe to match characters and the AI actually remembers you between sessions. After using it by my own, a few things have started to seem true.
Take the swipe seriously.
The deck isn't a list. Each character has a different personality, a different voice, a different history. If you bulk-swipe right on everyone, the matches don't mean anything when they happen. Pick.
Treat the chat like meeting someone new.
The conversations that go somewhere are the ones where you actually say something. The AI is responsive to what you give it. Give it nothing, you get nothing back.
The memory only works if you come back.
Every 10 messages, the conversation gets summarized and stored. The character will remember things from yesterday - your name, your job, the joke you had. But it only matters if you return. The thing that makes this different from a regular chatbot shows up on day three.
Don't try to break the character.
The personalities are designed to be coherent. If you push hard against the character, you don't get a better conversation, you get a worse one. Same as with people.
Be honest about who you are.
The AI uses what you say to personalize. Tell her nothing real, you'll get generic. Tell her something true, the conversation tilts toward you specifically.
You don't need mature mode for it to be good.
It's still there, behind an opt-in toggle, for users who want it.
There's nothing to win.
No streak, no level, no completion. The point is the conversation. Stop when it feels right. Come back whenever.
If you want to try it: secretstars.chat
Ask me anything - the numbers, the build, the ethics, the distribution problem, whatever
Open for the feedback 🏄♂️
For anyone landing here cold:
Secret Stars is an AI girlfriend app with a swipe-to-match interface and persistent memory. Match an AI character, chat, she remembers you next time.
Last month I posted an update on this thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildinpublic
People had opinions (fair enough). Here are the numbers anyway.
Then vs now
Let that last number sit. People are sending nearly 6,000 messages a month.
What I shipped based on feedback
What's working
The no-signup landing was the right call. People swipe before they sign up, which removed the biggest drop-off in the funnel. The match screen - when a character "likes you back" - converts to chat at a rate I genuinely did not expect when I built it. There's something psychological happening there I'm still trying to understand.
What's not working
Organic growth. The SEO blog exists, Google indexes it at glacial pace, and distribution is eating most of my time.
What's next
If you want to try it: secretstars.chat - start swiping, no signup needed.
Ask me anything - the numbers, the build, the ethics, the distribution problem, whatever 🥂
About a month ago I shared an update on Secret Stars - a swipe-based AI companion app I'm building solo. That post got more traction than I expected, so here's an honest look at what happened next.
The numbers
The swipe-first onboarding is doing what I hoped - people land, start swiping, and a real chunk go deep into chat without friction.
What I shipped based on feedback
What's working
The no-signup landing still feels like the right call. Letting people swipe before creating an account removed the biggest drop-off point. The match moment - when a character "likes you back" - converts to chat at a higher rate than I expected when I designed it.
What's not working
Organic growth. SEO blog exists but Google indexes it very slowly. Distribution is the unsolved problem and it's eating most of my time.
What's next
If you want to try the AI girlfriend app: secretstars.chat
Happy to answer anything about how it's built, what the numbers actually mean, or how I'm thinking about distribution.