Yope raises $12.3 million to build a private social network without algorithms or ads

As social media evolved from a place to connect with friends to large-scale entertainment platforms, I launched a startup called Yes It is quietly building what it believes will be the future of online communication: social networks with no algorithms, no ads, and no generic content.

Yope, now backed by a $12.3 million round led by… Northern regionis competing with tech giants like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram by building a social platform centered around what it refers to as “micro-communities” — or small groups where friends and family interact one-on-one, share photos, videos, messages, and, soon, play games.

The idea of ​​creating private, algorithm-free social media isn’t new, but few apps have been able to scale without adding creator content to keep users engaged. Yope hopes to change that by encouraging communication between friends in the real world, making it as much a communication tool as it is a place to share photos or life updates.

on YesBy default, accounts are private, and there is no algorithmic feed. It is also not supported by ads, instead focusing on developing a premium subscription-based experience for premium users.

Bahram IsmailThe co-founder and CEO of London-based Yope says the team saw the potential for a new kind of social network after conducting more than 100,000 interviews – with the help of artificial intelligence tools – to better understand how young people around the world use social networks. They found that about 30% were using what are often called photo-dumping or “spam” accounts, where users share more explicit photos with a smaller group of real friends.

Meanwhile, many people don’t share anything publicly, relying instead on messaging to keep up with friends.

“(Young people) have no place to express themselves if they are not ready to be influential,” Ismailao noted in an interview with TechCrunch. However, teens still want to do it; They just want more privacy.

“We saw this huge opportunity to create a new space for young people to be social. We called it Yope, an AI-driven social platform for young people and the next generation.”

He explained that the team does not believe in using artificial intelligence to create content; Rather, she sees AI as a tool that can help create better communications. This includes using artificial intelligence to create mini-games that you can play with your friends, a feature expected to launch in about a month. It also aims to leverage artificial intelligence to help users meet in real life, perhaps by buying tickets to an event, or finding a restaurant or bar where they can watch a football match.

On Yope, users create their profiles by sharing photos, which can be turned into cutout stickers. Instead of being organized into albums, photos are displayed in a collage-like, almost chaotic arrangement across each user’s “wall.” Soon, Yope users will be able to further personalize their space by adding their interests, favorite music and mini-games, as well as customize the look and feel with the colors and backgrounds of their choice.

This idea is reminiscent of MySpace, where users once personalized their own place on the web, customizing it to reflect their personalities.

The app also borrows heavily from existing social platforms, offering what have now become standard features like in-app messaging, summaries of top moments (Yope’s are generated by AI), and lock screen widgets that display photos of your friends. During setup, the app walks users through setting up its various features, grants the permissions they need to access their photos and find their friends, and encourages them to add connections and start private conversations.

The feature set appears to be working — Yope now has nearly 15 million registered users, who collectively share between 10 million and 20 million pieces of content weekly, including individual photos, videos, or stickers. These metrics indicate regular use. Ismailao claims that more than 50% of Yope users open the app at least five days a week, making them power users.

And it’s not just young people who add their friends. About 20% of active users have invited an older family member to join them on the app, Ismailao says.

Ismailao says the usage caught the attention of investors, with Northzone approaching the company, rather than the other way around. Northzone, which has backed other consumer apps such as Spotify and Klarna, led the $12.3 million round, with participation from Inovo, Redseed and Geek Ventures. The round brings the company’s total funding to $20 million. (Yope is the result of two previous axes – TechCrunch covered a previous release from the company. The current version has been in development for about two years.)

“Yope is a new, empowering and safe approach to social media where users have full control over their experience unlike the predatory practices of Meta, TikTok or X,” Pär-Jörgen Pärson, partner at Northzone, said in a statement. “We are very excited to partner with Bahram, Paul (Rudkowski, co-founder) and their team to build the service beyond its current millions of users and half a billion shared moments.”

The funding will be used to further develop the product, grow the team – which now includes about 35 people – and establish an office in the US.

Yope is a free download on iOS and Android.

Correction: Users exchange between 10 and 20 million pieces of content weekly, not daily; The founder made a mistake. We have updated the post accordingly.