Smaknews is a startup for women

A social networking startup aimed at female web surfers called Smaknews has claimed on April Fool’s Day that it managed to raise $5M from Founders Fund. In case you didn’t know, Founders Fund is the same venture capitalist firm that was behind social networking juggernaut Facebook.

Launching on April 5, Smaknews is open for beta invitations. The startup is initially planning to provide members with targeted news on celebrities and womens’ consumer interests. The site is getting mixed reviews from the social spectrum, with some women complaining that it marginalizes female netizens, removing them from the mainstream social networking scene.

The founders of Smaknews of course view women as a specific demographic to cater to. How successful the site will be may be anybody’s guess. Previously launched social networking or social bookmarking sites for women include Sk*rt, later renamed to Kirtsy. Smaknews may yet have some competition from such early birds to the female social networking market.

UPDATE: Smaknews’ Twitter account states that the $5M capital injection was an April Fool’s joke. But the launch is still scheduled for the 5th.