Yope raises $12.3M to build a private social network without algorithms or ads
Yope raises $12.3M to build a private social network without algorithms or ads
Yope 融资 1230 万美元，旨在打造无算法、无广告的私密社交网络
As social media has evolved from a place to connect with friends into large-scale entertainment platforms, a startup called Yope is quietly building what it believes will be the future of online connection: social networking with no algorithms, no ads, and no public content. 随着社交媒体从连接朋友的场所演变为大规模的娱乐平台，一家名为 Yope 的初创公司正在悄然构建它所认为的在线连接未来：一个没有算法、没有广告、也没有公开内容的社交网络。
Yope’s app, now backed by a $12.3 million round led by Northzone, is taking on tech giants like Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram by building a social platform centered on what it refers to as “micro communities” — or small groups where friends and family interact in private, sharing photos, videos, messages, and soon, playing games. Yope 的应用程序目前获得了由 Northzone 领投的 1230 万美元融资。它通过构建以“微型社区”为核心的社交平台，向 Facebook、TikTok、Snapchat 和 Instagram 等科技巨头发起挑战。在这些微型社区中，亲朋好友可以进行私密互动，分享照片、视频、消息，不久后还可以一起玩游戏。
The idea of building algorithm-free, private social media is not new, but few apps have managed to scale without the addition of creator content to keep users engaged. Yope hopes to change that by encouraging connections between real-world friends, making it as much a communication tool as a place to share photos or life updates. 构建无算法、私密社交媒体的想法并不新鲜，但很少有应用能在不依赖创作者内容来维持用户粘性的情况下实现规模化。Yope 希望通过鼓励现实生活中的朋友建立联系来改变这一现状，使其既是一个交流工具，也是一个分享照片或生活动态的场所。
On Yope, accounts are private by default, and there’s no algorithmic feed. It’s also not supported by advertising, instead focusing on developing a premium, subscription-based experience for power users. 在 Yope 上，账户默认是私密的，且没有算法推荐的信息流。它也不依靠广告支持，而是专注于为重度用户开发基于订阅的高级体验。
Bahram Ismailau, Yope’s London-based co-founder and CEO, says the team saw the potential for a new type of social network after conducting over 100,000 interviews — aided by AI tools — to better understand how young people around the world were using social networks. Yope 的联合创始人兼首席执行官 Bahram Ismailau（常驻伦敦）表示，在借助 AI 工具进行了超过 10 万次访谈以深入了解全球年轻人如何使用社交网络后，团队看到了新型社交网络的潜力。
They found that around 30% were using what are often called photo dump or “spam” accounts, where users share more candid photos with a smaller group of real-life friends. Meanwhile, many people don’t share anything publicly, relying instead on messaging to keep up with friends. 他们发现，约 30% 的用户在使用所谓的“照片倾倒”（photo dump）或“垃圾”账户，用户在这些账户中与一小群现实生活中的朋友分享更随意的照片。与此同时，许多人不再公开分享任何内容，而是依赖即时通讯来与朋友保持联系。
“[Young people] don’t have any place to self-express if they are not ready to be an influencer,” Ismailau pointed out in an interview with TechCrunch. Yet teens still want to do so; they just want more privacy. “We found this big opportunity to create a new space for young people to be social. We called it Yope, and it’s an AI-native social platform for young people and the next generation.” “如果年轻人还没准备好成为网红，他们就没有地方可以进行自我表达，”Ismailau 在接受 TechCrunch 采访时指出。然而，青少年仍然有表达的需求，只是他们想要更多的隐私。“我们发现了这个巨大的机会，可以为年轻人创造一个新的社交空间。我们称之为 Yope，这是一个为年轻人和下一代打造的 AI 原生社交平台。”
He clarified that the team doesn’t believe in using AI to create content; rather, it sees AI as a tool that can help create better connections. That includes using AI 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 AI to help users meet up in real life, perhaps by buying tickets to an event, or finding a restaurant or bar where they can watch a football game. 他澄清说，团队并不主张使用 AI 来生成内容；相反，他们将 AI 视为一种有助于建立更好连接的工具。这包括利用 AI 创建可以与朋友一起玩的小游戏，该功能预计在大约一个月后推出。此外，它还旨在利用 AI 帮助用户在现实生活中见面，例如购买活动门票，或寻找可以观看足球比赛的餐厅或酒吧。
On Yope, users create their own profiles by sharing photos, which can be turned into cut-out stickers. Instead of being organized into albums, the photos are displayed in a collage-like, almost chaotic arrangement across each user’s “wall.” Soon, Yope users will be able to further customize their space by adding their interests, favorite music, and the mini-games, as well as customizing the look and feel with colors and wallpapers of their choosing. 在 Yope 上，用户通过分享照片来创建个人资料，这些照片可以被制作成剪纸风格的贴纸。照片不会被整理进相册，而是以拼贴画般、近乎混乱的排列方式展示在每个用户的“墙”上。不久之后，Yope 用户将能够通过添加兴趣爱好、喜爱的音乐和小游戏来进一步定制自己的空间，并使用自己选择的颜色和壁纸来定制界面的外观和感觉。
The idea recalls Myspace, where users once carved out their own place on the web, and customized it to reflect their personalities. The app also heavily borrows from existing social platforms, offering what are now-standard features like in-app messaging, recaps of top moments (Yope’s are created by AI), and lock screen widgets that showcase your friends’ photos. 这个想法让人想起 Myspace，用户曾经在那里开辟自己的网络空间，并进行个性化定制以反映个人风格。该应用也大量借鉴了现有的社交平台，提供了目前已成为标配的功能，如应用内消息、精彩瞬间回顾（Yope 的回顾由 AI 生成）以及展示朋友照片的锁屏小组件。
During onboarding, the app walks users through setting up its various features and granting the permissions it needs to access their photos and find their friends, encouraging them to add connections and start private chats. 在新手引导过程中，应用会引导用户设置各项功能，并授予访问照片和查找好友所需的权限，鼓励他们添加联系人并开始私密聊天。
The combination of features appears to be working — Yope now has nearly 15 million registered users, who have collectively shared between 10 million and 20 million pieces of content weekly, including individual photos, videos, or stickers. Those metrics suggest regular use. Ismailau claims more than 50% of Yope’s users open the app at least five days per week, essentially making them power users. And it’s not just young people adding their friends. Ismailau says around 20% of active users have invited an older family member to join them on the app. 这些功能的组合似乎行之有效——Yope 目前拥有近 1500 万注册用户，他们每周共同分享 1000 万到 2000 万条内容，包括单张照片、视频或贴纸。这些指标表明用户使用频率很高。Ismailau 声称，超过 50% 的 Yope 用户每周至少打开应用五天，这基本上使他们成为了重度用户。而且不仅仅是年轻人邀请朋友加入，Ismailau 表示，约 20% 的活跃用户邀请了年长的家庭成员加入该应用。
The usage attracted investor attention, Ismailau says, as Northzone approached the company, not the other way around. Northzone, which has backed other consumer apps like 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. Ismailau 表示，这种使用率吸引了投资者的注意，是 Northzone 主动联系了公司，而不是反过来。曾投资过 Spotify 和 Klarna 等消费类应用的 Northzone 领投了这轮 1230 万美元的融资，Inovo、Redseed 和 Geek Ventures 也参与了投资。此轮融资使该公司的总融资额达到 2000 万美元。
“Yope is a fresh, empowering and safe take on social media where the users are in full control of their experience in contrast to the predatory practices of Meta, TikTok or X,” said Pär-Jörgen Pärson, partner at Northzone, in a statement. “We are very excited to partner with Bahram, Paul [Rudkouski, co-founder] and their team to build the service far beyond the current millions of users and half a billion moments shared.” “Yope 是一种新鲜、赋能且安全的社交媒体尝试，用户可以完全掌控自己的体验，这与 Meta、TikTok 或 X 的掠夺性做法形成了鲜明对比，”Northzone 合伙人 Pär-Jörgen Pärson 在一份声明中表示。“我们非常高兴能与 Bahram、Paul [Rudkouski，联合创始人] 及其团队合作，将这项服务发展到远超目前数百万用户和五亿次分享的规模。”
The funding will be used to further develop the product, grow the team — now around 35 people — and establish an office in the United States. Yope is a free download on iOS and Android. 这笔资金将用于进一步开发产品、扩大团队（目前约 35 人）并在美国设立办事处。Yope 可在 iOS 和 Android 平台上免费下载。
Correction: Users are exchanging 10 to 20 million pieces of content weekly, not daily; the founder misspoke. We have updated the post accordingly. 更正：用户每周交换 1000 万到 2000 万条内容，而非每天；创始人表述有误。我们已相应更新了文章。