Georgia-based founders Maya Watson and Lexi Nisita want to get people talking again.
To make that happen in our scroll-heavy world, the two former executives at Netflix and Clubhouse are building why?!, a new social networking and conversation app.
Unlike other popular social networking platforms that focus on creating content and ingesting it passively, why?! is designed to help users “get to the heart of the conversation” with people. That interaction can be with acquaintances, longtime friends, coworkers, or even romantic interests.
“There’s a lot of talking on social media,” Watson told Hypepotamus. But there isn’t a focus on asking questions as a way to connect with other people. She described why?! as the “social scaffolding” to hold a conversation up and keep people from reverting to generic small talk.
To engage with other people on the app, users answer questions and interesting prompts that help build stronger connections.
The app also has a “Live Mode” that allows users to meet people in real life to answer questions and an in-app private chat option.
Launching In The Social Networking World
The two co-founders are no strangers to the social networking and communications tech space. They were both executives at Netflix (Watson as Director of Marketing and Nisita as Director of Brand and Editorial) before joining Clubhouse, the social audio app that burst onto the scene during the pandemic as a way to connect people through social audio rooms.
With why?!, they wanted to work on a solution to help those who are chronically online build stronger connections with one another. But they also see poignant questions as a way to combat the loneliness epidemic, which has become a growing public health crisis.
The app is currently in beta with plans to fully launch this fall. To get off the ground, Watson and Nisita said that they are taking a “micro-events strategy” to different cities to create buzz and help small groups connect by asking and answering better questions.
Behind The Funding Round
Even as first-time founders, co-founders Watson and Nisita have been able to bring in an impressive group of investors to join their pre-seed round to help the app get off the ground.
The team announced this week it closed a $1.65 million round. Investors include Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Barclays Black Formation Investments managed by Zeal Capital Partners, Roxann Stafford (Blueprint FTC), Virginie Raphael (FullCircle), Bistro Partners, Shani Taylor (Scout for Bain Capital Ventures) as well as Cindy Holland (CEO, Sister) and Mohammad Almalkawi (CTO, Clubhouse).
The why?! team said they received great inbound investor interest in their round, highlighting the need for a new type of social media experience.
“Building in the consumer social space is tough and it’s been a long time since we’ve had a social app break through in a meaningful way, but I think Maya and Lexi are onto something,” said Charles Hudson, Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures. “I’ve already caught myself wishing I could add someone on why?!, send them a question, use it to start a conversation with a new acquaintance. I’m excited to be a part of why?! at this early stage and look forward to seeing how the conversations grow.”
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Photos provided by why?!
