Houseparty Movie Group Talk App Gets $52M, Technology News
NoCamels
Israeli Innovation News
With one Million Daily Users, Group Movie App Houseparty Could Overtake Snapchat In Race To Attract Post-Millennials
Thanks to uncountable scenes in movies and television shows, the term “house party” often conjures up pics of wild, noisy teenagers partying hard at some popular kid's home while his or her parents are away for the weekend.
But for millions of Generation Z (Gen Z, or Post-Millennials) teenagers, those born anywhere from the mid-1990s to the early-2000s, Houseparty is simply the name of their dearest movie talk app. Even prestigious magazine Forbes has said this fresh Israeli app is winning over Generation Z, in an article titled “Stir Over, Snapchat.”
Houseparty, created by Israeli startup company Life on Air, permits users to quickly leap into “parties” of up to eight people at the same time, creating drop-in-drop-out style movie talks among any friends who are online at the same time. The idea behind the app is to create a virtual space where you can dangle out with your friends—a “house party” – where everyone you know is invited. When a friend explosions the app, you’ll get a notification letting you know they’re in the house. If you want to talk, you launch the app and join.
Talks are organized by room, and anyone you’re friends with on the app has a virtual invitation to drop in on your conversation. Their friends can also join, in which case you’ll see a “stranger danger” message. Beyond that, it’s pretty much like any other party, where you can loosely talk with friends. Up to eight people can be in a room at the same time, and you can casually stir inbetween rooms to interact with different groups of friends. When you want to prevent people from joining a private conversation, you can simply lock the room.
Life on Air was founded in two thousand eleven with headquartered in San Francisco and R&D in Tel Aviv. CEO Ben Rubin and COO Sima Sistani recently created the app Houseparty. Life on Air this week announced it has raised $52 million for Houseparty. The financing round was led by Sequoia Capital with the participation of previous investors Aleph VC, Comcast Ventures and Greylock Playmates. The company has raised $70 million to date and The Wall Street Journal reported that the venture capital funds were rivaling to invest in this latest financing round.
From Meerkat to Houseparty
Houseparty is not the very first app created by Life on Air. Their very first product was live-streaming smartphone movie app Meerkat, which launched in February two thousand fifteen and managed to generate lots of excitement originally, but eventually failed after being frozen out by social media giants Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter blocked Meerkat’s access to launch its own live-streaming app, Periscope. Facebook built live streaming into its mobile app, which has more than one billion monthly users, a few months later. Meerkat, which abruptly found itself was in a three-way battle against two big companies with significantly more resources at their disposition, simply couldn't challenge.
The team quickly regrouped and Houseparty was released in early 2016. The fresh app has quickly emerged to the top of the mobile app charts to become what many are calling “the next big social network,” presently with one million daily active users. The Houseparty app is presently free and there are no in-app purchases that require you to spend money to join or host a Houseparty. However, it remains to be seen if the company determines to charge users in the future.
Attracting Generation Z: sixty percent of the users are under 24
Naturally, Houseparty's target audience, and its primary users, are Gen Z, the next generation after millennials. A whopping sixty percent of the app's users are under the age of 24.
“We're permanently amazed by how many people reach out to us to let us know how much Houseparty is strengthening their friendships and family relationships,” Sistani told Forbes. “It's a superb feeling when you get to connect with a friend or loved one, or better yet, numerous friends and loved ones, totally unexpectedly. And we love to hear about how people are making Houseparty a part of their daily routine, whether it's getting together with their squad to recap the latest scene of a beloved showcase, dealing with homesickness by cooking a nostalgic dinner ‘with’ your mom or dad, or reliving all the gory details of a uproarious night out with your best friends.”
Houseparty Movie Group Talk App Gets $52M, Technology News
NoCamels
Israeli Innovation News
With one Million Daily Users, Group Movie App Houseparty Could Overtake Snapchat In Race To Attract Post-Millennials
Thanks to innumerable scenes in movies and television shows, the term “house party” often conjures up photos of wild, noisy teenagers partying hard at some popular kid's home while his or her parents are away for the weekend.
But for millions of Generation Z (Gen Z, or Post-Millennials) teenagers, those born anywhere from the mid-1990s to the early-2000s, Houseparty is simply the name of their dearest movie talk app. Even prestigious magazine Forbes has said this fresh Israeli app is winning over Generation Z, in an article titled “Stir Over, Snapchat.”
Houseparty, created by Israeli startup company Life on Air, permits users to quickly hop into “parties” of up to eight people at the same time, creating drop-in-drop-out style movie talks among any friends who are online at the same time. The idea behind the app is to create a virtual space where you can dangle out with your friends—a “house party” – where everyone you know is invited. When a friend geysers the app, you’ll get a notification letting you know they’re in the house. If you want to talk, you launch the app and join.
Talks are organized by room, and anyone you’re friends with on the app has a virtual invitation to drop in on your conversation. Their friends can also join, in which case you’ll see a “stranger danger” message. Beyond that, it’s pretty much like any other party, where you can loosely talk with friends. Up to eight people can be in a room at the same time, and you can casually stir inbetween rooms to interact with different groups of friends. When you want to prevent people from joining a private conversation, you can simply lock the room.
Life on Air was founded in two thousand eleven with headquartered in San Francisco and R&D in Tel Aviv. CEO Ben Rubin and COO Sima Sistani recently created the app Houseparty. Life on Air this week announced it has raised $52 million for Houseparty. The financing round was led by Sequoia Capital with the participation of previous investors Aleph VC, Comcast Ventures and Greylock Fucking partners. The company has raised $70 million to date and The Wall Street Journal reported that the venture capital funds were contesting to invest in this latest financing round.
From Meerkat to Houseparty
Houseparty is not the very first app created by Life on Air. Their very first product was live-streaming smartphone movie app Meerkat, which launched in February two thousand fifteen and managed to generate lots of excitement originally, but eventually failed after being frozen out by social media giants Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter blocked Meerkat’s access to launch its own live-streaming app, Periscope. Facebook built live streaming into its mobile app, which has more than one billion monthly users, a few months later. Meerkat, which abruptly found itself was in a three-way battle against two hefty companies with significantly more resources at their disposition, simply couldn't rival.
The team quickly regrouped and Houseparty was released in early 2016. The fresh app has quickly emerged to the top of the mobile app charts to become what many are calling “the next big social network,” presently with one million daily active users. The Houseparty app is presently free and there are no in-app purchases that require you to spend money to join or host a Houseparty. However, it remains to be seen if the company determines to charge users in the future.
Attracting Generation Z: sixty percent of the users are under 24
Naturally, Houseparty's target audience, and its primary users, are Gen Z, the next generation after millennials. A whopping sixty percent of the app's users are under the age of 24.
“We're permanently amazed by how many people reach out to us to let us know how much Houseparty is strengthening their friendships and family relationships,” Sistani told Forbes. “It's a fine feeling when you get to connect with a friend or loved one, or better yet, numerous friends and loved ones, totally unexpectedly. And we love to hear about how people are making Houseparty a part of their daily routine, whether it's getting together with their squad to recap the latest gig of a beloved demonstrate, dealing with homesickness by cooking a nostalgic dinner ‘with’ your mom or dad, or reliving all the gory details of a uproarious night out with your best friends.”
Houseparty Movie Group Talk App Gets $52M, Technology News
NoCamels
Israeli Innovation News
With one Million Daily Users, Group Movie App Houseparty Could Overtake Snapchat In Race To Attract Post-Millennials
Thanks to uncountable scenes in movies and television shows, the term “house party” often conjures up pics of wild, noisy teenagers partying hard at some popular kid's home while his or her parents are away for the weekend.
But for millions of Generation Z (Gen Z, or Post-Millennials) teenagers, those born anywhere from the mid-1990s to the early-2000s, Houseparty is simply the name of their dearest movie talk app. Even prestigious magazine Forbes has said this fresh Israeli app is winning over Generation Z, in an article titled “Stir Over, Snapchat.”
Houseparty, created by Israeli startup company Life on Air, permits users to quickly leap into “parties” of up to eight people at the same time, creating drop-in-drop-out style movie talks among any friends who are online at the same time. The idea behind the app is to create a virtual space where you can dangle out with your friends—a “house party” – where everyone you know is invited. When a friend fountains the app, you’ll get a notification letting you know they’re in the house. If you want to talk, you launch the app and join.
Talks are organized by room, and anyone you’re friends with on the app has a virtual invitation to drop in on your conversation. Their friends can also join, in which case you’ll see a “stranger danger” message. Beyond that, it’s pretty much like any other party, where you can loosely talk with friends. Up to eight people can be in a room at the same time, and you can casually budge inbetween rooms to interact with different groups of friends. When you want to prevent people from joining a private conversation, you can simply lock the room.
Life on Air was founded in two thousand eleven with headquartered in San Francisco and R&D in Tel Aviv. CEO Ben Rubin and COO Sima Sistani recently created the app Houseparty. Life on Air this week announced it has raised $52 million for Houseparty. The financing round was led by Sequoia Capital with the participation of previous investors Aleph VC, Comcast Ventures and Greylock Fucking partners. The company has raised $70 million to date and The Wall Street Journal reported that the venture capital funds were contesting to invest in this latest financing round.
From Meerkat to Houseparty
Houseparty is not the very first app created by Life on Air. Their very first product was live-streaming smartphone movie app Meerkat, which launched in February two thousand fifteen and managed to generate lots of excitement originally, but eventually failed after being frozen out by social media giants Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter blocked Meerkat’s access to launch its own live-streaming app, Periscope. Facebook built live streaming into its mobile app, which has more than one billion monthly users, a few months later. Meerkat, which abruptly found itself was in a three-way battle against two giant companies with significantly more resources at their disposition, simply couldn't challenge.
The team quickly regrouped and Houseparty was released in early 2016. The fresh app has quickly emerged to the top of the mobile app charts to become what many are calling “the next big social network,” presently with one million daily active users. The Houseparty app is presently free and there are no in-app purchases that require you to spend money to join or host a Houseparty. However, it remains to be seen if the company determines to charge users in the future.
Attracting Generation Z: sixty percent of the users are under 24
Naturally, Houseparty's target audience, and its primary users, are Gen Z, the next generation after millennials. A whopping sixty percent of the app's users are under the age of 24.
“We're permanently amazed by how many people reach out to us to let us know how much Houseparty is strengthening their friendships and family relationships,” Sistani told Forbes. “It's a fine feeling when you get to connect with a friend or loved one, or better yet, numerous friends and loved ones, totally unexpectedly. And we love to hear about how people are making Houseparty a part of their daily routine, whether it's getting together with their squad to recap the latest gig of a dearest demonstrate, dealing with homesickness by cooking a nostalgic dinner ‘with’ your mom or dad, or reliving all the gory details of a uproarious night out with your best friends.”