Yope is Attracting Gen Z and VCs with its Instagram-Inspired Private Group App

Photo and video apps with social features targeting young adults are everywhere, making those that gain traction among 18–twentysomethings especially appealing to investors seeking the next Instagram or TikTok.

Yope, a photo-sharing app for private groups, is the latest standout. It has grown 30x in the past six months, reaching 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily users. Notably, it boasts a 40% day-seven retention rate, a key metric in a competitive market.

Investor Backing Grows as Yope Secures $4.65M Seed Round at $50M Valuation

This success has fueled investor interest. TechCrunch has confirmed that Yope secured a $4.65 million seed round at a $50 million valuation. The round is led by Goodwater Capital, with participation from Inovo VC, Redseed, and notable angels, including Jean de La Rochebrochard, Greg Tkachenko (who sold AI Factory to Snapchat), Reface co-founder Dima Shevts, and ex-Google researcher Andrei Tkachenk.

“Yope is driving people and VCs a bit crazy,” one source told TechCrunch, with some even calling it “the new Instagram.”

Yope’s interface is straightforward: users can snap a photo within the app or select one from their library, then share it with a group they’ve joined or created. Within the group chat, members can view, react to, and discuss shared images. Each group also has a “wall,” where Yope uses machine learning to cut out and blend images into a continuous photo collage.

To drive engagement, Yope borrows elements from other social platforms—both positive and controversial. A lock screen widget displays the latest group photos, a streak feature incentivizes regular posting, and a recap function creates a slideshow of shared images, similar to Google Photos and Apple’s Photos app. However, first-time users may find opting out of these features intentionally tricky, though it is possible.

Ambassador Program Drives Growth, Generating 56M+ Views and User Invites

Yope has also launched an ambassador program to boost awareness and app installs, offering payouts to power users who promote the app on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. According to Yope, videos created by ambassadors have amassed over 56 million views. While the company did not disclose how many installs these videos have generated, it noted that 70–80% of its users join through invites from others.

CEO and co-founder Bahram Ismailau aims to grow Yope to 50 million monthly active users by next year.

The company is also working on new features. While video support has yet to launch, it is in development. A planned daily check-in feature will prompt users to revisit their group, view shared photos, and engage with them. Yope also plans to enhance group walls by adding interactive elements like stickers, doodles, and zoom functionality to explore images across different timeframes. Additional features in the pipeline include vanishing photos with a lock-screen timer.

Yope plans to introduce a family group format to expand its user base beyond Gen Z, as the average user age is currently 18.

While growing its user base remains the priority, the company is also exploring monetization strategies, beginning with subscription plans.

Yope’s Journey to Success

Yope may be gaining traction now, but the startup has been around since 2021, with founders Bahram Ismailau and Paul Rudkouski experimenting with various concepts before landing on its current form. Their past projects included Salo, a social networking app, and a multi-camera tool similar to BeReal. After pivoting multiple times, they launched Yope in September 2024.

Operating from locations like New York, Miami, Lisbon, and London, Yope aims to fill a market gap by offering a dedicated space for sharing photos in private groups—something existing platforms like Instagram and Snapchat don’t prioritize. Instagram’s own attempt, Flipside, lasted just five months.

“Gen Z takes a lot of photos, but only 1% are shared,” Ismailau noted, emphasizing Yope’s focus on unfiltered content. While many startups have tried and failed to build businesses around private group sharing, Yope believes the time is right for another attempt.

Goodwater Capital’s Chi-Hua Chien praised Yope’s rapid growth, calling it an example of a “category-defining consumer app.” However, sustaining engagement remains a challenge—similar apps like BeReal saw early success before declining.

Despite past industry failures, Yope’s founders are betting this time will be different. “They’re working hard,” one VC observed.

Read the original article on: TechCrunch

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