Yope raises $12.3 million to build a private social app with no ads

In short: Yope raised $12.3 million to grow a private social networking app that does not use ads or an algorithm-picked feed.

What happened

Yope, a social app built around small private groups for friends and family, has raised $12.3 million in seed funding. The round was led by Northzone, with Inovo, Redseed, and Geek Ventures also taking part. This brings Yope’s total funding to $20 million, and the team is about 35 people.

The company says its app is private by default and has no “algorithmic feed.” An algorithmic feed is the endless stream of posts chosen for you by software, like a TV channel that decides what you watch next. Yope also says it does not run ads, and it plans to make money from paid subscriptions for heavy users.

Yope is trying to compete with big social platforms by focusing on small groups instead of public posts and influencer-style content. The company says it has nearly 15 million registered users, and that users share 10 million to 20 million items each day, such as photos, videos, and stickers.

Yope also uses AI in a limited way. The CEO, Bahram Ismailau, told TechCrunch the company is not using AI to generate posts, but to help people connect, for example by creating recaps and building mini-games for friends.

Why it matters

Many people like sharing with close friends but do not want to post publicly, and they do not want their time online shaped by ads and attention-grabbing feeds. If Yope can keep growing, it could offer a simpler, more private option that feels closer to a group chat with photo sharing than a public stage.

Source: TechCrunch AI